Lovely
by ashleighmarauder
Summary: A broken time-turner and an unintentional traveller change the future of the Wizarding World as we know it. AU, non-canon pairings, mature.
1. 1

**Saturday, 2nd May 1998**

The fiendfyre was hot against Hermione's back, licking the bristles of the broomstick as she sat behind Ron, speeding as quickly as possible towards the exit of the Room of Requirement.

First it was a slight shudder, one that wouldn't have been unexpected on a broomstick as old as the one they were using. The second shudder was more of a jolt, and was accompanied by a loud CRACK, heard even above the crackling of the enchanted flames.

It all happened so quickly.

As the ancient broomstick snapped under the weight of the two young adults, the fiendfyre engulfed the towers of random junk surrounding the pair, sending scalding hot debris at the teenagers as they fell towards the ground.

Hermione instinctively reached for her wand, screaming a banishing charm at Ron before it was even fully raised, and watched in a mixture of fear and relief as he was flung through the now open doorway after Harry and Malfoy.

It all happened so quickly.

Hermione landed hard, feeling the breath whoosh from her lungs as she hit an old table covered in musty old scarves, ruined books and tarnished costume jewellery.

She raised her hands over her head in a vain attempt to shield herself - not so much from the burning debris falling towards her, but from the now dragon-shaped flames towering above her, around her, below her, surrounding her with the crackling sounds of heat and fire, and the smell of her burning hair and clothes.

It all happened so quickly.

Forgotten wand clenched in one hand, the other open flat - palm up, fingers spread wide, eyes shut so tight it hurt, Hermione didn't see it coming. She didn't see the flame damaged time-turner falling towards her. She didn't see the fragile hourglass shatter in the unbearable heat. She didn't feel the fine grains of sand and shards of glass brush against the skin of her open palm, nor the blistering hot chain wrapping itself around her wrist, scalding her as it melted onto her skin.

It all happened so quickly.

One second she was there, and the next, she was gone.

* * *

Hermione cringed at the sudden temperature change.

Blinking dumbly into the now dark room, Hermione was shocked and relieved beyond imagination to see that the cursed flames were gone. It took a second longer than she'd like to admit, to realise that the towering piles of hidden things were not, in fact, charred to a crisp but looked almost exactly as they had less than 10 minutes prior, before Crabbe had opened his big stupid mouth and let loose uncontrollable dark magic. It was only half a second after that, that the painful burning of her palm and wrist drew her attention, eyes immediately overflowing with tears as she instinctively ripped away the melted metal from her skin, barely noticing its unique design as she did.

Delirious with fatigue and pain, Hermione scrambled up off the hard table and towards the exit, absentmindedly shoving the cooling remains of the time-turner into the pocket of her jumper, eager to find Harry and Ron and make sure they were okay.

Stumbling out into the hallway, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath, resting her head against the cool stone wall and not registering the abnormal quiet of the castle. Wand still clenched tightly in her right hand, she glanced down quickly at the blistered skin on her left wrist and palm, debating whether it would be considered a waste to use their dwindling supply of dittany to help with the pain and possible infection. Breathing heavily, Hermione shakily wedged her wand between her teeth, and used her good hand to pry open the small beaded bag still slung around her body.

Elbow deep in the magically extended bag, there was nothing to do but stare, wide eyed, as her moment of respite was interrupted by the echo of footsteps and whispers, followed a split second later by two dark haired boys dressed in Gryffindor robes.

The two boys, one of which held a ratty piece of familiar parchment, stopped abruptly at the end of the corridor, one raising his wand at the strange girl - dirty and injured and definitely not one of their classmates - with her wand in her mouth of all places, and one arm seemingly missing inside a bag much too small to hold anything more than some galleons and a hair comb.

Hermione looked at them. They looked at her.

And then she fainted.

* * *

**Authors Note: **

This is my first real attempt at any kind of (hopefully) passable fanfiction. Constructive criticism is welcome, although I do ask you to be kind. This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. I can't guarantee regular uploads, but I will try my absolute best to keep the wait times as short as possible.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, as I haven't yet read a story quite like this in all my years of reading HP fanfiction, however as the description states: this is an AU story. There are weird and wonderful character pairings made up from my imagination, and it's just for fun.

Cover art created by me, with the help of Google Images and Photoshop. I take zero credit for the individual images, and in relation to the story itself: anything you recognise is not mine.

I won't be repeating this disclaimer throughout the story, so please take it on board now.

I hope you like it!

Love, A


	2. 2

**Friday, 23rd September 1977**

"Prongs, mate, who's this?" Sirius asked James, elbowing his friend in the ribs while shoving the Marauders' Map under his nose.

"Oi!" whined James, wincing and rubbing his side, "I don't bloody know Padfoot. Can't you put that away for 5 minutes and help me with this Potions essay? I still need two more inches and it's curfew soon and -"

"And Evans _finally _agreed to go to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow, but won't if she knows you've still got homework?" guessed Sirius with an eye roll and a smirk.

"Exactly," replied James, pointing the feathered end of his quill at Sirius, knowing that his friend wouldn't purposely ruin his date with Lily now that she had finally agreed to go out with him.

Sirius glanced down at the map as James returned to his essay, frowning at the name '_Hermione Granger_' on the 7th floor. He watched as the stranger stood still against the wall and couldn't curb his curiosity, interrupting James again.

"Prongs, someone named Hermione Granger just appeared randomly on the 7th floor near the dancing troll portrait and isn't moving," he said, getting to his feet, "I'm going to investigate, and I'm not going alone."

James huffed and looked up at his best mate, searching his eyes and finding not a trace of humour.

"Alright _fine_," he grumbled in a low tone, looking towards the large clock on the wall over Madam Pince's desk while he packed up his things. "But we have to get back before curfew because Lily knows I haven't got rounds tonight and I have no intentions of stuffing up our date tomorrow."

Sirius was already nodding and hopping impatiently from foot to foot when James continued, "And you can proof this essay and finish the conclusion. _And _make sure it meets the 10-inch requirement or Old Sluggy will never let me hear the end of it."

He grinned smugly when Sirius stopped his fidgeting, looking from the map to James and back again.

"Deal."

* * *

The two boys walked quickly and quietly to the 7th floor, taking shortcuts and avoiding other students in a way only they could do. It took only a few minutes to get to the 7th floor, but as soon as they rounded the corridor, both James and Sirius knew that their night was far from over.

The girl that stood there looked like she'd stepped straight out of a war zone. Bloody and dirty, she was unhealthily skinny and smelt of fire and fear, trembling visibly against the wall. Her wide brown eyes were flicking rapidly between the two boys, her jaw tightening on the wand sticking out of her mouth. James noticed the odd way she held her left hand, recognising the redness and blisters as burns, and the way her uneven hair was smoking slightly. Sirius was more concerned with her hidden arm, not knowing what she was going to pull out of the bag, and raised his wand in defence, right before she collapsed.

James jerked forwards as though to try and catch her with his bare hands, while Sirius used his raised wand to cushion her fall onto the hard ground. The boys were by her side in seconds, Sirius kicking her wand and bag away while James flicked his wand and checked for a pulse. She was alive but her breathing was strained, and her body twitched slightly even in unconsciousness. James caught Sirius' eye as he moved to pick up the girl, while his friend collected her belongings, shoving the wand inside the small bag before casting a disillusionment charm on it and tucking it into his pocket.

"_Padfoot_," hissed James, "what are you doing!?"

"What?" he shrugged, pale but with a determined gleam in his eye. "We're going to need some leverage. I'll bet she won't be going anywhere without her bag or wand. If we give it back right away, we might never get answers."

James just nodded in understanding and agreement, adjusting the girl in his arms as he turned towards the hospital wing.

The walk was quick, with Sirius checking the map every few seconds. Neither boy thought it smart to be seen right now, especially while carrying an unconscious girl who looked half dead and may or may not have appeared out of nowhere.

The two Gryffindors barged into the infirmary, knowing - thanks to the map - that only Madam Pomfrey was in there. The matron came rushing out from her office at the noise, wand out and eyes stern, ready to berate whoever it was making such a ruckus right before curfew.

Madam Pomfrey sucked in a deep breath at the sight of James and Sirius, their pale faces standing out against dark hair and robes, the strange girl in James' arms limp and bloody. With a quick flick of her wand she had the lanterns lit by one of the beds, a curtain summoned around it, and was levitating the young woman out of James' arms and onto the bed, all while ordering Sirius to fetch the headmaster.

"No, no, Mr Black! Use the floo! The floo! Quickly now," urged Pomfrey. "Mr. Potter, step out now while I examine the poor girl. You can either wait by the doors or head back to your dormitory."

"But -"

"No 'but's Potter, now shoo!" she insisted, bumping James backwards with a privacy charm and swishing the curtain around the bed simultaneously.

James scowled at the closed curtain, knowing the girl's health was none of his business but wanting to know anyway. He was still mumbling under his breath when Sirius appeared back at his side, followed by Professors Dumbledore & McGonagall. Neither professor paid any attention to the two boys, but announced themselves to the matron before slipping behind the privacy ward.

Sirius turned to look at James, wide eyed and still pale, when Lily Evans popped into the room, held by a small house elf who popped straight back out.

"James? What's going on? Professor McGonagall just sent an elf to bring me here but didn't say why," she began, not letting him answer before she continued, "Black? What are you doing here? Is it Remus? Peter? Is that why you're both here? Oh no -"

"Relax Evans, just take a breath yeah? We don't know what's going on either really," explained Sirius.

"It's not any of the boys, Lily, or girls for that matter. We found someone, a girl, hurt on the 7th floor. We don't know who she is, she looks about our age but _definitely _isn't a student, and we brought her straight here. That's all we know."

Sirius was nodding his head in agreement of James' more thorough explanation.

"Yeah, as soon as we got here Poppy sent me to the floo to get Dumbledore, and Minnie was in his office when I called so she came through too. Must've thought you might be able to help, being Head Girl, and, well, a girl," Sirius grinned.

Lily relaxed a little, managing to roll her eyes at Sirius while still looking concerned that a strange girl had been found hurt in the school.

"It's _Madam Pomfrey_, Sirius. And _Professor _Dumbledore. And Merlin forbid Professor McGonagall hear you call her _Minnie _again. I'm surprised you have enough nerve left after the last time."

"I'm not", James grinned at Lily, "Surprised, that is."

"Hey! I'll have you know that -", Sirius began, trailing off when the two Professors and Mediwitch stepped back out of the privacy ward.

"Mr Black, Mr Potter, Miss Evans, will you please join me in Poppy's office for a moment? I know it's getting late but it is of high importance that we discuss tonight's events immediately," Dumbledore said, looking at the three students over the top of his half moon spectacles.

Lily nodded immediately and fell into step behind the Headmaster as he turned towards the office, pulling James along by his sleeve as she passed him, leaving Sirius to bring up the rear as he glanced at the curtain around the bed one last time.

As they entered the office, they noticed that Professor McGonagall had already left, as well as Madam Pomfrey, both likely retiring to their chambers. The three students sat tensely on the conjured chairs in front of the desk, as Dumbledore moved to sit behind it, sighing tiredly as he did.

"Do any of you know what this is?" he asked, placing a broken, melted time-turner on the table.

One moment of complete and utter silence was followed by three teenage voices speaking loudly over the top of one another.

"What the he-"

"What on earth is th-"

"Don't _touch _it!"

"Sir, do you know what this mea-"

"But, how? And where?"

"More like _when_?"

"It is kinda cool th-"

"_Black_!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses as he looked between the three of them, hiding a smile as though he'd known exactly what their reactions would be.

"Yes, indeed, it seems we have a time traveller in our midst," he sighed tiredly, "However judging by the results of her examination, I think I can be confident in saying it was unintentional on our travellers' part. I'm sure the three of you have been reading _The Prophet_?"

The three students nodded in sync, stunned into silence once more.

"I will be in contact with the Unspeakables in the coming days to discuss our visitor of whom I'm sure they're already aware. However if the press is to be believed, the study of time has not yet progressed to actually _making_ time-turners. Which means -"

"She can't go back," interrupted Lily.

Both boys looked at her aghast. Lily _never _interrupted a Professor, least of all the Headmaster.

"No, Miss. Evans," Dumbledore agreed sadly. "She can't go back."

"Which means she needs a cover story -" began Sirius.

"- and somewhere safe to stay," finished James, nodding his head once with determination.

Professor Dumbledore looked proudly between the boys and Lily before continuing.

"We, Poppy and I, expect our guest to wake in the next day or so. Without breaching her medical confidentiality, I can tell you that she is extremely malnourished and has been victim to dark magic," he paused as Lily gasped in shock, Sirius hissed, and James cursed under his breath. "Hogwarts has already provided some private rooms nearby the Heads dormitory, and I ask you Mr. Potter and Miss. Evans to make her feel welcome. I have considered a few potential cover stories; however they vary in how believable they are, and depend on the _friendliness _-" he shared a meaningful look at the students, "- of our guest. I will discuss things with our visitor when she wakes and keep the three of you informed."

James and Lily nodded their agreement with quiet _yes sir_'s, while Sirius fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure of how he of all people was supposed to help.

Dumbledore, noticing Sirius' discomfort, addressed him directly.

"Young Mr Black," he began, twinkling over his glasses at Sirius, "I am very grateful to you and Mr Potter on your bravery and quick thinking this evening. I am including you in our further discussions, not only because of your direct role in the discovery of our guest, but also because I know you're not going to give up that disillusioned bag without some answers."

Sirius and James' jaws dropped in shock, while the headmaster chuckled at their surprised faces. Lily, confused and slightly concerned, was about to ask what on earth was going on when the professor stood from his seat, prompting the students to rise with him. He led the students from the office and back into the now-dark hospital wing, where he bid them goodnight before leaving towards his chambers on foot.

James and Sirius, still looking at each other in shock, allowed themselves to be pulled along by Lily (_"come on you two, it's already past midnight!"_), back to the head dorms where Sirius would undoubtedly stay for the night.

The three students clambered through the portrait hole just in time to avoid Mrs Norris, and with tired nods and quiet _goodnight_'s the boys split from Lily, heading into James' room where they fell side by side onto the double bed, fully dressed and already asleep.


	3. 3

**Saturday, 24th September 1977**

Sirius woke with a start and looked out the window of James' bedroom, seeing the sun just starting to peek over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. Patting his robe pocket frantically, he felt the small beaded bag belonging to the mystery girl, sighing with relief that he hadn't somehow lost it. Glancing at James' face, relaxed with sleep, he slipped out of the room and ran full speed towards the Gryffindor Tower, eager to get everyone together to brainstorm - and snoop through the bag, of course.

Amidst quiet cursing and grumbling, Remus and Peter stumbled blearily after Sirius, not bothering to ask what was so important at sunrise on a Saturday morning. By the time they reached James and Lily's quarters, Sirius was almost hopping with impatience, and Peter was ready to drink an entire pot of coffee by himself.

"Sirius, what's going on?" asked Remus through a yawn, scrubbing at his face.

"Just a sec Moony, let me get Prongs," he started, pausing outside the bedroom door to add, "can you wake up Evans? I don't want to have to fill her in later."

As he slipped through the door to jump on the bed, Remus and Peter shared a dubious look, playing a quick round of fire, parchment, stone to determine which of them would be stuck waking up the feisty Head Girl. Just as Remus lost the round, looking dejectedly down at his flaming parchment, James and Sirius emerged from the bedroom, the former heading towards Lily's bedroom to knock politely on the door.

Minutes later, the four boys and Lily sat around the small common room on transfigured cushions, sipping steaming coffee as Sirius pulled the beaded bag from his pocket, cancelling the disillusionment charm as he did.

Ignoring Moony and Wormtail's questioning looks and Lily's shout of protest, Sirius waved his wand over the bag, quickly cancelling the undetectable extension charm. What he didn't expect, was for the contents to come spewing out of the bag, quickly burying him under all sorts of strange items as the other teenagers sprung away, wands out in surprise.

"Holy crap!" yelled Sirius, shoving the now empty purse away from him and scrambling to his feet. Lily, who was now standing in her bedroom doorway, looked incredulously at the boys, too surprised to berate Sirius for cancelling the charm without knowing what the bag contained.

"Well that was surprising," laughed James.

"Yeah, you can say that again mate," replied Remus, wide eyed and breathing heavily, looking at the spot he'd been sitting, and seeing a pile of huge fangs burning holes in what looked like a pair of old jeans. He cast a quick containment charm around them, levitating them off to the side where nobody would accidentally touch them.

Peter, who had been watching Remus move the fangs with a worried look, suggested that they all keep their wands out and cast some revealing charms - just in case - before they kept looking through the items now in front of them. Agreeing, the teens began casting, creating small pathways from the edges of the room into the centre, where they sat again as James, Lily and Sirius explained what had happened the night before.

Peter looked more and more concerned for the stranger as the story progressed, where Remus just looked suspicious. Those weird fangs weren't something a harmless girl would carry in her purse!

"I don't know you guys, I don't think we should be going through this stuff now," said Peter, looking around them warily. "It feels wrong somehow."

"No, if anything, I think we _should _investigate Pete", Remus objected, "This strange girl turns up out of nowhere, apparently from the _future_, is hurt from dark magic and is carrying what looks like her entire house in this tiny bag... I mean, there's half a tent behind Lily for Merlin's sake!"

All five of them turned to look at what was, indeed, part of a tent.

"I agree with Remus," said Lily primly, straightening her shoulders and summoning some parchment, quills and empty boxes. "We need to take an inventory. There's no way I'm trying to shove all of this back into that tiny bag." She left out the fact that they'd not covered that particular spell in their charms classes yet, not willing to admit that she wouldn't be able to re-charm the bag properly.

Sirius scrambled to his feet, snatching up a piece of parchment and turning eagerly towards the stack of clothes nearest to him, hoping to find some knickers or something.

After two coffee refills, some pastries from the kitchens and a visit from the seventh-year prefects who were chaperoning that days Hogsmeade trip, the group finally took a break to compare their lists.

"Tent poles, empty jam jars, wild mushrooms, four half-eaten apples under stasis, a bunch of newspapers that _look _old but are dated from _1998_, a ridiculous amount of books ranging from textbooks to children's stories to dark magic, a muggle photo album, some empty phials..." Lily charmed her list to float in front of her, while she moved the corresponding items into different boxes, holding them up to show the boys as she did.

"There's just so much _stuff_," she shook her head in disbelief.

Sirius, picking up his pile, started sorting more things into Lily's boxes, starting a few categories of his own as he did.

"There's a heap of clothes - looks like boys and girls stuff. Things like jeans, underwear, some sunglasses, blankets and pillows, a camp chair, a burnt frying pan and teapot, other household kind of items - pretty much everything but the kitchen sin-"

"Nope, the kitchen sink is there, Padfoot", said Peter, turning to point behind him. "There's also a bunch of wands - some broken, some not - and those fangs that Moony found earlier. There's also these", he said, laying down a copy of _The life and lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter_, and some magical photographs of what looked like a younger James Potter standing with the mystery girl and a redheaded boy who was obviously a Weasley.

"And _this_," added Remus, holding up what looked like an old Gryffindor quidditch jersey, except the design was slightly different to the current uniforms, and this one had _POTTER _emblazoned across the back. The other four had been shocked at the book, not to mention the photos, but it was Lily who squeaked in surprise at the jersey, blushing prettily as James smirked at her. Clearing his throat, Remus continued, "So I guess this girl knows us, or at least _you_,James."

James just nodded, not knowing what to say or do in this kind of situation.

"Wait! What if she's your _wife _or something Prongs!?" exclaimed Sirius.

Lily opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it shut audibly when she realised James was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. As the boys bickered over the fact that James couldn't - _wouldn't _\- possibly be married to someone that young ("_She's from the future, and she looks about our age _now _for Merlin's sake_"), James turned to Lily, apologising for their first date being ruined.

"I'm sorry Lily."

"I know, James. It's fine. Honest."

"I - I just was looking forward to it, is all."

"I know," she huffed a laugh, blushing again, "so was I actually. But - I mean, we can - that is, if you -"

"Take a rain-check?"

Lily nodded her head eagerly, resting her hand on his shoulder for balance as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks," she whispered in his ear, their equally flushed cheeks brushing as James stammered.

"Not-", he cleared his throat, running a hand through his already messy hair, "Not a problem. Thanks, Lils."

"_Awwwww_," cooed Sirius, standing between Remus and Peter with his arms thrown around the two laughing boys.

James snorted a laugh, picking up a nearby cushion and throwing it at his friends.

"Come on you lot, let's keep sorting this stuff and then we can meet with Dumbledore and find out what's going on," said Lily, trying to look unaffected by her moment with James.

"Yeah, yeah," laughed Sirius, lifting his wand to levitate more items into the different boxes, as the others followed suit.

Over an hour later they finally stopped, looking at the boxes stacked neatly on the coffee table, each labelled with a category. In the end, there were two large boxes of clothing (an eclectic mix of male and female, magical and muggle), five boxes of books, one small box of sentimental items like photos and jewellery, one broomstick (that looked _really _fast, to the boys' delight), a magical tent, one box of household items (including a pathetically small pile of food that took up less than one corner of the box), a box of old musty linens and pillows, and those creepy fangs that were still under a containment charm.

The five teenagers looked at each other warily, each grabbing their inventory lists as they trudged silently out of the dormitory and back towards the hospital wing, making sure to secure the room with extra wards as they went.


	4. 4

**Saturday, 24th September 1977**

As the Marauders and Lily were asleep in their beds, Hermione woke with a strangled scream, searching frantically for a wand - _any wand _\- as she tumbled out of the bed, not taking notice of the hospital gown she was wearing or the emptiness of the infirmary.

Her mind frazzled, she didn't notice when Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey stepped around the curtain, wands held tightly in lowered hands, just in case.

Hermione's search quickly turned from frantic to downright desperate, sobs escaping her throat as her breath seemed to get stuck in her lungs when she realised her beaded bag - her trusty, magically extended beaded bag that carried _her whole life _\- was _gone_.

'_What am I going to do!? Oh no, oh no, oh no_', she thought, turning just as quickly from desperate to defeated. '_I'm going to die. That's it. I'm done for_'. She sobbed loudly, clapping her hands quickly over her mouth as the noise echoed around her in the quiet room. She finally looked around to take stock of her surroundings, her jumbled mind trying to make sense of the quiet and empty hospital wing, like trying to finish a puzzle with only half of the pieces.

It wasn't until her eyes landed on the sorrowful face of Madam Pomfrey and the old, unmistakable wizard beside her, that she finally realised the gravity of the situation. She had travelled through time before, of course.

Hermione fainted. Again.

* * *

The second time she woke, Hermione just rolled to her side, letting silent tears roll down her nose and cheek, soaking into her hair and the pillow below.

She knew that Dumbledore would want to speak to her - could feel his presence on her other side, staring sadly at her back. But instead, she let sleep take her again.

* * *

The next time Hermione woke up, the sun was high in the sky outside the window. Pushing herself up on shaky arms, she wiped her tear-stained face and reached for the bottomless glass of water beside the bed. She hadn't realised how thirsty she was until the water touched her tongue, and she kept drinking steadily until she felt full and slushy.

Heaving a sigh, she turned towards Professor Dumbledore, still sitting in the same armchair as he had been hours earlier. Tears welling up in her eyes, she gave a small forced smile and told him how good it was to see him again.

"It's clear that you know me, my dear," said Professor Dumbledore, his sad eyes still twinkling as they were wont to do, "however I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting _you_. At least not consciously."

"My name is Her-" she began, only to be interrupted by the infirmary doors banging open, the newcomers calling the Headmaster's name.

Dumbledore chuckled quietly, raising a hand to wandlessly remove the privacy wards and allow entrance to five teenagers, raising the wards again once he'd expanded the area and conjured some extra seats to fit them all.

Hermione quietly observed the newcomers, recognising three of the boys and the redheaded girl. All of them were about her age, maybe a little younger, _or older_, if you really thought about it.

She immediately recognised James and Lily Potter, quickly reminding herself that Lily wasn't _actually _a Potter yet, and making a mental note not to blurt that out, lest she change the future and risk the birth of her best friend.

Feeling tears gather for what would surely not be the last time, she forced her eyes away from James' messy hair and Lily's bright green eyes, instead focusing on two of the three remaining boys.

Remus and Sirius looked almost exactly as they did in Harry's old photographs. Her mouth turned up in a small smile as they shoved each other playfully while each trying to snag the most comfortable seat, and she had to swallow a laugh when Sirius sat down smugly only to yelp when Remus summoned the chair from under him.

As the headmaster chuckled at their antics, Hermione looked up through her lashes at the last boy in the room.

He had messy blondish-brown hair - almost like it couldn't decide which colour to be - that looked attractively windswept. His skin was slightly tanned and he had blue eyes so bright they almost looked like muggle contact lenses. As he leaned back in his seat smirking in amusement at his friends, he made eye contact with Hermione, shaking his head in playful exasperation.

She couldn't look away. _Who on earth was that_? She couldn't recall ever having seen him in any of Harry's old photos. And now that she thought about it, where was Pettigrew? Wasn't he supposed to be one of the Marauders? Who was this _gorgeous _young man, sitting so casually with quiet confidence and with such an air of _belonging_?

Had she already changed the future without realising?

Hermione looked back down at her lap, shaking her head at her internal ramblings. She shouldn't be checking anyone out for goodness sake! She was in a lot of trouble. The very first rule of time travel was to _not be seen_, and she had been seen by who knows how many people! Feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable in her Hogwarts hospital gown, half laying in a bed while everyone else was sitting up like adults, Hermione cleared her throat, cringing inwardly when everyone turned to look at her.

"Headmaster, with all due respect, I'm not sure I feel comfortable speaking with you in front of an audience," she said quietly, quickly continuing before Sirius could interrupt her in indignation. "It's nothing personal," she added, looking at each of the rooms occupants, before settling back on Dumbledore. "I just don't... I mean, I - _ugh_."

She shook her head in frustration and started again.

"It's nothing personal, please don't be offended," she made eye contact with Sirius. "It's just that I know I'm putting all of you at risk right now, and until Professor Dumbledore knows the back story, I don't know how much he wants others to know," she tried to explain.

"Thank you, Miss - er?"

"Granger. Hermione Granger," said Sirius, surprising Hermione and the Headmaster, although the other students didn't look shocked at all.

"_Thank you_, Mr Black."

"Sorry Professor," Sirius grinned sheepishly, dodging James' smack to the back of his head.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Although I have invited our young friends here in full confidence that whatever you tell us, more minds are better than one," said Dumbledore, twinkling over his spectacles at her. "It was also taken slightly out of my hands," he added, gesturing with open hands towards James and Sirius. "Misters' Potter and Black are the ones who found you injured on the seventh floor and brought you here."

Hermione looked at the boys, finally remembering passing out in front of them as flashes of the last few hours (or was it days?) ran through her mind.

"Thank you," she said quietly, truly grateful that she hadn't been found by the enemy.

The two boys mumbled embarrassed _you're welcome_'s, avoiding her eyes and seeming uncomfortable yet relaxed at the same time.

"If it's alright with you, Miss Granger, might I suggest you start from the beginning? I can assure you, each person in this room has my full trust," the Headmaster prompted.

"That's all well and good sir, but I only know for certain that I can fully trust five of you. I don't know who _this _is," she countered, jerking her head towards the handsome stranger. She knew she was being rude, questioning the great Albus Dumbledore like this - _in front of other students no less!_ \- but her situation was way too serious to take chances.

The boy in question straightened up, clearing his throat and looking her in the eye as he introduced himself.

"I'm Peter Pettigrew."


	5. 5

**Saturday, 24th September 1977**

Hermione's jaw dropped as she gawked rudely at... _Peter Pettigrew?_

_This _was Peter Pettigrew? She shouldn't have been surprised really. The only times she'd seen him in person had been after he'd spent twelve years living as a rat - that was bound to affect his physical appearance. This person in front of her looked absolutely _nothing _like she had imagined a young Peter Pettigrew would look, especially after hearing other people's descriptions of the boy. She supposed Harry would have known what he looked like, but by the time she'd been shown any photos of James Potter and his friends there had been ugly black blobs of ink over the fourth person's - _Pettigrew's _\- face.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she blurted out, completely ignoring the other boys snorts of laughter and Lily's noise of disapproval. Professor Dumbledore sat quietly, observing Hermione's reaction as she eyed Peter with pure shock.

Peter, on the other hand, looked downright confused at her reaction.

"I'm sorry, do you know me already or something?" he asked, awkwardly pulling at his collar while glancing around, begging with his eyes for some help from his friends.

Without answering, Hermione wandlessly disarmed Peter, catching his wand in her outstretched hand and pointing it back at his face.

The other Marauders and Lily were immediately on their feet, wands drawn and pointing at Hermione, although the Headmaster's wand was directed at Peter, ready to cast a protective shield if need be.

"Show me your left arm," Hermione demanded, not caring about the other four wands pointed at her.

Sirius, James and Remus immediately protested, insulted on their friends behalf that this little witch could waltz right in and essentially accuse their best mate of being a Death Eater. Lily, thinking quickly and wanting to diffuse the situation, cast a quick silencing charm at the boys, avoiding their resulting glares in favour of observing their Headmaster.

Professor Dumbledore looked concerned. Not so much at the clearly powerful young witch in the bed, but more at her insistence that Peter reveal himself to them.

Peter didn't question her, not wanting to provoke Hermione while he was at the wand point of his own wand, instead raising his hands slowly in surrender as he rolled down his left sleeve.

When Hermione saw the unblemished skin, instead of being relieved, she leaned forwards and grabbed his exposed wrist yanking him towards her with surprising strength, and began casting revealing charms over his skin.

The others watched closely as the witch cast a number of revealing spells, ranging from simple first year charms to advanced Auror level spells, the boys not even noticing as Lily lifted her earlier silencing charm.

Hermione finished her magical examination, dropping the wand carelessly on the bed, ignoring Sirius who darted forwards and snatched it out of her reach. Turning Peter's surprisingly soft hand back and forth in her own, she mumbled under her breath, "_How _is this even possible? I guess I don't know when exactly he took the mark but I'd always assumed it had been before they left school... Yes, yes it was, because the snakes had access to him here, but wouldn't once they'd graduated... What year is it? '81 was the first fall, Harry was three months past a year, which means graduation was in... 1978... Head Girl badge, yes - that must mean we're in 1977..." she continued under her breath, still not concerned about the onlookers.

When Peter finally cleared his throat awkwardly, Hermione dropped his hand as though she'd been burned, belatedly realising she'd basically been manhandling him this whole time.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Erm, no problem," replied Peter. "Reckon you could explain about that though?" he asked as he took his wand from Sirius and sat back down cautiously.

Ignoring him as the others all sat again - this time a little more stiffly than before - Hermione turned to Dumbledore and said, "I'm from 1998. May 2nd, to be exact. In my time, Peter Pettigrew was a Death Eater spy and caused the deaths of James Potter and his wife on October 31st, 1981. When he was confronted for the betrayal afterwards, he murdered thirteen random muggles in cold blood, framing Sirius Black for the deaths - all of them - which resulted in twelve years imprisonment of an innocent man in Azkaban. And that's not even counting his part in the revival of Lord Voldemort in 1995, and Merlin knows what else."

Peter looked sick to his stomach, while his friends looked in horror between him and Hermione and Dumbledore. "Prongs, mate, I swear - Padfoot, Moony, you know I'd never -" he excused himself just in time to retch into the waste bin.

"It's okay Pete," said James, throwing a glare at Hermione, as he moved to pat his friend on the back. "We _know _you'd never be a Death Eater, no matter what some crazy witch says."

"I'm _not _crazy!" she shrieked, not making her point particularly well. "I've been fighting in an adults war since I was eleven, and I'll be damned if I let this shit storm continue for any longer! Time travel rules or not, I'm not going to let my friends and family die - _again_!"

"Miss Granger, perhaps a Vow of Secrecy will be sufficient?" Professor Dumbledore asked, raising his wand in his right hand as though to take an oath.

Seeing their Professor willingly offer his confidentiality, the Marauders and Lily followed suit in raising their wands, knowing that if they didn't comply they'd be forced to leave the conversation, and maybe even be obliviated.

Hermione nodded, satisfied that nobody here would be able to speak about their conversation with anyone else. Once the others had all taken the oath, Hermione turned to Peter, offering a sheepish apology before politely requesting to borrow his wand... again.

With Peter's wand in hand - curiously warm and comfortable to use - Hermione took her own Vow of Honesty before throwing up some extra wards over top of the Headmaster's, ignoring the impressed looks of her audience. Returning the wand, she looked quickly around the curtained area before focusing on her lap as she started to speak, not noticing as Remus discreetly summoned a piece of parchment and a self inking quill to take notes with.

Hermione started with her visit from Professor McGonagall during the summer before first year when she first found out she was a witch - locking eyes briefly with Lily who was the only one who understood the significance of that moment of Hermione's life.

She spoke about the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets, including details of the diary, the basilisk and the location of the Chamber, how to get inside and how Moaning Myrtle died all those years ago.

She spoke of her third year - Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban after being wrongly imprisoned without trial for twelve years, the time-turner she'd used to complete all of her classes, Professor Lupin's "_furry little problem_" being exposed by their nasty Potion's Professor, and the entire ordeal with Buckbeak.

Hermione cried as she told them about Cedric Diggory's murder and Voldemort's return in her fourth year, gratefully accepting a conjured handkerchief from Peter. She told them everything she knew about the Triwizard Tournament and the graveyard resurrection.

She rubbed her chest in the memory of a purple curse being cast at her in the Department of Mysteries in fifth year. The dementor attack, the Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge and her cursed quills, and Dumbledore's Army were all included - and although she missed the look of pride on her former Headmaster's face, the others saw it.

It was Sirius' turn to throw up when Hermione revealed the details of his death in the Department of Mysteries - at the wand of his bat shit crazy cousin - looking at Hermione with a strange mixture of disbelief and horrified wonder.

Madam Pomfrey paid her a visit just before she started on her sixth year, forcing some bone broth soup and vitamin potions on her, also leaving a phial of dreamless sleep beside the bed for later.

The Marauders, Lily and Professor Dumbledore also had some food delivered from the kitchens and the students whispered amongst themselves as they ate, occasionally looking between Hermione and the Headmaster (who was humming a strangely happy tune as he finished his bread).

Once the food had been eaten and toilet breaks had been had, the group settled down again, getting comfortable for what they could feel was the climax of Hermione Granger's explanation.

Sixth year brought more tears, and not only from her. Lily and the Marauders were all blinking back tears as she told them of their beloved Professor's death, the wizard in question looking on with a sad smile. She told them about Dumbledore's charred hand and Harry's secret meetings with the Headmaster. She told them about the betrayal of Professor Snape, who had lied to Dumbledore about his loyalty and ultimately murdered him in cold blood.

And finally, Hermione told them about the Horcruxes.

She started by connecting the dots. She went back to her version of events from the late 70's and early 80's, telling them about James and Lily Potter's deaths, breaking her own rule about telling them of their future marriage (much to James' delight). She told them about Harry and his childhood; how he became The-Boy-Who-Lived, and lived with his vile Aunt and Uncle, and could speak to snakes and knew nothing about his family history or magic.

She referenced the diary of Tom Riddle, Slytherin's locket - the fake and the real one - and the cursed ring that held the Resurrection Stone. For the benefit of the students, she briefly filled them in on the _very real _Deathly Hallows and the dangers of them.

In the end, Remus had written a tidy list of the Horcruxes.

_Tom Riddle's diary (Lucius Malfoy? Malfoy Manor?)  
Gaunt ring (Gaunt shack, Little Hangleton)  
Slytherin's locket (Unknown cave - near Wool's Orphanage? Regulus Black)  
__Hufflepuff's cup (Lestrange Vault?)  
'Lost' diadem of Ravenclaw (Room of Hidden Things)  
Harry Potter (October 31st, 1981)  
Nagini (1993? Bertha Jorkins - Albania)_

Realising that most of the day had gone by, and dinner would be starting soon, Hermione gratefully drank the dreamless sleep potion when it was passed to her by Professor Dumbledore. She wasn't ready to discuss their past year on the run yet.

She would tell them soon... but for now, it could wait.


	6. 6

**Saturday, 1st October 1977**

The next week passed in a blur of sleep, potions and visitors for Hermione. She slept and woke at the strangest hours and had finally moved on from soups to solid foods again. Her injuries had been healed, and she was about as healthy as could be given the circumstances.

She was still grossly underweight and unfortunately for her, had begun having extreme nightmares since Madam Pomfrey had stopped giving her dreamless sleep potions.

Peter, Remus, James, Sirius and Lily had all been stopping by between classes and before curfew - sometimes alone and sometimes together - to provide some friendly company and ask questions about their futures.

When Hermione had woken after her tell-all with Dumbledore and the others she had immediately panicked. Despite wanting to change things and not caring about her own safety, she was incredibly frightened about the safety of her friends - what if she prevented one of their births? What if someone got killed this time who had been alive in her time? It was all well and good to want to save everyone - and she really _really _wanted to - but 'The Brightest Witch of her Age' knew she was in way over her head.

It was Peter, of all people, who calmed her mind. On Wednesday afternoon a boy had come into the infirmary after a potions accident. He'd apparently been caught in the crossfire of someone else's mistake, and had been ranting and raving about _'dunderheads who didn't know the difference between mint and basil leaves'_. Hermione hadn't even needed to see the boy to know that it was a young Severus Snape. She'd held her breath and kept perfectly still as though her life depended on it. Once Snape had left, the dam had broken and Hermione had had one of the worst panic attacks to date. It had been Peter who had visited mid-attack. He had popped his head around the curtain with a boyish grin on his face, only to swear softly and vanish again.

He'd returned a second later with some calming draught, and had sat on the bed beside her, holding her shaking hands and whispering assurances that she was okay, she was safe and alive, and there was nobody here that would hurt her. It was that last promise that had calmed her down. Peter was right. There was nobody here that would hurt her, because things hadn't gotten so bad yet. It was too late for the McKinnons - they'd been killed during the summer just gone, she learned - but the war hadn't progressed too far yet. There were still disappearances, but the Prewett twins were still alive and kicking, and an older Sirius had once told her that their deaths had been the first real hit to the Order during the first war.

She had known that she wanted to change things, and what better time to do that than now? When there wasn't open fighting or death around every corner. When she wasn't living in a cold tent, starving and waiting to be found by Death Eaters or Snatchers... Peter was right. There was nobody there to hurt her now - she could use that to her advantage.

A sweet friendship had bloomed between the two of them that day and Hermione found herself wanting to get to know him more. _Who was this boy _that was so different than anything she'd imagined? So _not _like anything she'd been told in the past? Was _this _the boy that betrayed his best friends, killed thirteen muggles and faked his death in the future? He didn't have a Dark Mark like she thought he would. Was there a catalyst? An event that occurred that changed his path? Something or someone that had led him, or maybe _forced him_ to the Death Eaters - to Voldemort?

She wanted to know.

She wanted to change his future.

* * *

It was after lunch, a week after Hermione had shared her past - their future - with Dumbledore and the others. She had managed to avoid it all week, but finally they were all able to visit her together, so Hermione had no choice but to pick up where she left off and delve into the events that brought her here, to 1977.

Thankfully she was now well enough to move about, so when James playfully offered his arm she took it with a grin and let him escort her further into the infirmary where Professor Dumbledore had transfigured some empty beds into comfortable lounges.

It had only taken a few days to feel like she was right at home with the Marauders and Lily. They were far kinder than she had ever imagined, immediately welcoming her into the fold, even more so when James had realised just how close she was to his _not-yet-but-one-day _son_. _"You're basically an honorary Marauder, H. You're stuck with us now!" James had said one evening, slinging his arm around Remus' shoulder as he nodded in agreement, quickly adopting the easy nickname for her. "Hermione's a pretty name, but it's a bit of a mouthful," he'd later explained, smiling at her so kindly that she couldn't be mad.

Hermione sat herself down between James and Peter on a comfortable three-seater that looked almost exactly the same as the couch she remembered from the common room in her time. Remus conjured another piece of parchment and quill, handing them to Lily when she reached for them, quite happy to relinquish the note taking this time.

Afternoon tea was served, and Hermione leaned back into the couch as she began.

She started with Harry's move during the summer, sharing every detail she remembered. She tried to stay as emotionless as possible, knowing that just talking about it all would make the nightmares worse. Hermione went through a mental list, ticking off the topics as she finished, moving onto the next one before she could think about it too much.

_The seven Potter's, Mad Eye dead, George's ear, the reading of Albus Dumbledore's will, the wedding, Scrimgeour dead - Ministry fallen, Tottenham Court Road and the cafe, 12 Grimmauld Place, their break in at the Ministry, the Muggle-born Registry led by Umbridge, the loss of Headquarters and Ron's splinching accident, camping and moving and camping and moving over and over again... _

She glossed over Ron leaving them, not wanting their opinion of him to be tainted by his actions during one of the toughest times of their short lives. In the end, his leaving didn't matter - no matter how much it still hurt - and she tried to ignore the pain in her heart when she thought about never seeing him or Harry again.

_Bathilda Bagshot and Nagini in the trap at Godric's Hollow, Harry's broken wand, the mysterious doe patronus that had led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor, Ron's return, camping and moving and camping again..._

When it was time to talk about the broken taboo and their capture at Malfoy Manor, Hermione stopped. She physically couldn't open her mouth. She wasn't spelled to keep it a secret, no, she just knew that if she opened her mouth she would be back in that damned drawing room, writhing under Bellatrix's wand and knife, feeling the cursed blade carving into her forearm again and again. As her eyes glazed over, James and Peter each took one of her hands and they held onto her tightly, offering a much needed anchor to the current time and place.

Lily, seeing that Hermione was close to breaking point, quietly asked if she'd prefer to release the remaining memories into a pensieve.

"_Yes, please_," she breathed desperately, blinking quickly as her lips quivered and silent tears overflowed. Releasing James' hand, but keeping hold of Peter's, Hermione wiped her eyes as she turned to the Headmaster, watching as he summoned his pensieve and began to position it on a small transfigured table in the centre of their gathering.

"I - I don't have a wand," she started, feeling vulnerable and embarrassed to have to ask for one to borrow. "I had a bag with me when I arrived, but I don't know what happened to it after I passed out."

Sirius and James shared a significant look, James scooting as far away from her as he could manage on the small sofa. "Well Hermione, you see - I mean, Sirius here -"

"What Prongs is trying to say, Kitten, is that we had your bag," interrupted Sirius with an innocent grin. Hermione froze, her hand clenching Peter's tight enough for him to hiss out a pained breath, although he didn't show it on his face.

"You, WHAT!?" she shouted, springing to her feet and taking a battle stance.

Sirius gulped, paling as he raised his hands in surrender and shrunk back into his seat, looking frantically between his friends who were absolutely no help at all.

Lily looked positively excited to see what would happen, the quill in her hand almost at snapping point. Remus was smirking at the scene, and Professor Dumbledore was humming lowly as he made sure the pensieve was balanced properly, although if one looked closely enough, they'd see an unmistakable twinkle in his eye. Peter just looked relieved to have his hand back unbroken.

"What do you mean, _had_?" Hermione continued in a furious tone, glaring at Sirius with a look that would kill if it could.

"Well, Kitten," he began only to stop when she growled, _actually growled_, at the stupid pet name. He cleared his throat nervously and started again. "Well, you see Hermione, you'd just shown up out of nowhere, looking like you were about to either fall over or kick all of our asses," he ignored a snort from Remus and a hiss from Hermione (her hair now crackling visibly with pent up magic) and continued more confidently, "and until we knew if you were a friend or foe we weren't going to risk leaving you with a bag full of potential weapons."

"He's right, H," said James, trying not to visibly cringe when she turned on him. "We'd have been stupid not to take it from you. We didn't know you then!"

Hermione took a deep breath, closing her eyes and reaching out to her magic to calm it before something bad happened. The others looked on with baited breath, still waiting for an explosion from the small but powerful witch in front of them.

"Sirius Black and James Potter," she hissed fiercely, "you giant twits! _Of course _you were right to take it from me when you didn't know who I was!" The boys mistakenly relaxed. "But how dare you keep it from me for this long, after knowing that I'm not a threat to any of you!?"

_Or not._

"Good Merlin, and here I thought you were intelligent! Let me guess, you've gone through it haven't you?" she looked between their sheepish faces, noticing the small blush on Remus' cheeks, and the way Lily and Peter both looked uncomfortable and a little ashamed. "_Oh my God_. You've all been through it, haven't you?" she demanded to know, but not needing an answer at the looks on her new friends faces. She flushed brightly and ground her teeth, turning to look at Sirius.

"Give it over. _Now_."

* * *

After much shouting, quiet _sorry_'s and Peter's not-so-quiet _I told you so_'s directed at his friends, Hermione's belongings were overflowing from the ten boxes now stuffed under her temporary bed, along with a shrunken magical tent and a broomstick that hadn't been invented yet. The small bag that had held the contents was clutched in her hands as she waved one of the stolen Snatcher's wands over it, trying to repair and reinforce the material so that it could survive the application of another undetectable extension charm.

While she did this, the Marauders, Lily and the Headmaster were all in the pensieve, witnessing her worst memories. She had no desire to relive them, and prayed to every God that ever existed: _please don't let them think less of me. _

* * *

Their reactions when they came out of the pensieve were almost exactly what she had expected. Lily was crying and shaking, clutching at a pale James who looked totally shell shocked and quite frankly, sick. Peter turned straight to her and gathered her into a surprisingly strong hug, shaking slightly and breathing fast. Remus threw up - that one surprised her actually, though she wasn't sure why. Sirius had the most intense response, turning his wand on the cabinet behind them and blasting it into tiny splinters. Professor Dumbledore didn't scold him, just repaired what he could and vanished the rest, gently disarming Sirius before he could damage anything else.

Hermione said nothing, just shifted out of Peter's hug and leaned back on the lounge, drawing her knees up to her chest as she watched Sirius warily. She'd known he would react badly, seeing what his own cousin did to her. She assumed Peter's reaction had been just as much about her torture as it was seeing his future self in her memory - an old snivelling servant who looked more rat than man. James and Lily would have seen their only son, fighting for his life, forced to carry the burden of surviving a killing curse as an infant. And Remus, poor guy, had seen himself aged and tired, fighting alongside a woman who was _much_ younger than himself and was clearly his wife. It was a shock to all of them, in many different ways.

After handing Hermione Sirius' wand for safe-keeping, a pale Professor Dumbledore simply thanked her quietly and then swept hastily from the room, the twinkle in his eyes - _gone_.


	7. 7

**Author's Note:**

**Where we're at: **Hermione had a narrow escape from a fiery death in the RoR during the final battle, with a broken time-turner throwing her into the past. She was found by James and Sirius and taken to the hospital wing, where Lily met them and the three students talked to Dumbledore during which time they found out about Hermione's time travel. The Marauders & Lily went through Hermione's bag which she ultimately lost her shit over once she had spilled all of her secrets in a desperate attempt to change the future. Hermione's also curious about Peter - and not just in a _what-the-fuck? _kind of way. She's just shared the last of her information with the gang via pensieve and Dumbledore is sad. Still with me? Great, let's go!

**Ps: **This chapter was tough to write - it's a little emotional, but also a bridging chapter until we get to the juicy stuff. I'll remind you, this story is for mature audiences!

**Pps: **Let me know what you think!

* * *

**Saturday, 1st October 1977**

The infirmary was quiet as the teenagers sat, processing everything they had learned from Hermione over the last week. Sirius lasted less than ten minutes after Dumbledore left before he snatched his wand back and stormed from the room, James following him with an apologetic look towards Hermione.

"It's okay," she said quietly, as he followed his friend from the room. "You guys can go too, you know. It's a lot to process," she continued, giving the others an out.

"H..." Remus started, "I don't - I mean, I - I want to stay with you, talk things out - but I think Prongs and Padfoot need a level head with them. To make sure they don't get into strife, y'know?"

"I understand, Remus," she replied, with a small understanding smile. "It's really fine. Go on."

He scrambled to his feet, jerking his head at Peter as he turned to leave.

"I'll go with him, make sure everything's okay," mumbled Peter, squeezing Hermione's shoulder as he rose from beside her and hurried out, his red-rimmed eyes avoiding hers.

"And then there were two," said Lily, forcing a smile as she moved over to sit next to Hermione.

"You don't have to stay, Lily. I'll be okay."

"I'm not leaving."

"But -"

"No."

"But -"

"Hermione," said Lily firmly, "I'm not leaving. I don't want to be alone right now, and I doubt you really want to be alone either." She looked directly into Hermione's eyes. "I really -" she choked, blinking furiously as fresh tears started to burn her eyes, "I really want to stay, if that's okay with you."

Hermione just sighed and nodded, tears filling her eyes as she tried in vain to hold them back.

"Hermione... It's okay," Lily whispered, her tears overflowing as she reached for Hermione's hand, gripping it tightly. "You're safe," she breathed, "You're alive and you're safe. You can let go now."

Hermione wrenched her hand away from Lily's and threw herself into the redhead's arms, wrapping her in a fierce hug as guttural sobs burst forth. She'd been numb ever since Malfoy Manor, not allowing herself to dwell on what had happened in fear that she wouldn't come back from it. She hadn't been able to process it yet, or even cry over the fact that she had been viciously tortured at the hands of a sadistic serial killer. She hadn't let herself feel relief that she'd escaped with her mind intact, too focused on not falling apart while continuing the hunt for Horcruxes.

Lily represented everything she missed most in that moment, with the fiery red hair of her best girlfriend and the eyes of the very best friend she'd ever had - the boy who she had been willing to die for - who she was _still_ willing to die for.

As the two girls sat together, while Hermione cried out all of her hurt and fear and months of pent up emotions, their friendship was cemented. This girl - this small but powerful muggle-born witch would have _died_ for her friends. For Harry Potter - _her son_ (however weird that was to think about). Any woman with that kind of loyalty was a friend worth having, future children aside. So Lily said nothing, just rubbed Hermione's back gently as she cried softly in sympathy for the broken witch and the horrors she had faced.

By the time night fell, the two witches were huddled closely on the transfigured couch, fast asleep, with dried tear tracks on their cheeks.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Hermione woke, eyes sore and swollen from her earlier breakdown. She was so _tired_. It took a moment for her to realise she wasn't on the lounge anymore and that Lily was gone. She blinked through the sand-like feeling in her eyes and squinted into the darkness of the infirmary, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

Awareness came slowly, and she was shocked at her lack of instincts as she realised she wasn't alone. She was back in her temporary bed, and Peter was slumped beside her with his head pressed into his hands, elbows resting on the edge of the bed. Before Hermione could signal that she was awake, she heard a quiet sniffle and strained her ears to hear that he was actually talking, and it was obviously what had woken her in the first place.

" - would I? Those boys are the closest thing I have to siblings, to family. And Lily, Merlin she drives me insane because she's just _so smart_. Not that that's a bad thing," he mumbled, in the midst of a quiet monologue, thinking out loud, "but it makes things difficult sometimes, especially when you're trying to skive off." He paused, chuckling quietly to himself before he sobered. "I just don't understand why I would have done it. I've been approached by some of the darker snakes - but so have James and Sirius - what makes me so different? We just tell them to fuck off and plan out the next prank to pull on them... I just can't imagine ever turning on my best mates like that, let alone all those muggles! And Sirius... _Merlin_, twelve years in Azkaban would be more than enough to send someone insane... I just - I just _can't_..."

It was silent for a few minutes while Hermione stewed mentally, not sure on whether or not she should "wake up" or remain as she was, pretending to sleep while Peter got it all off his chest. In the end she didn't need to decide, as Peter rubbed his face roughly and stood quietly, not looking at her as he turned away.

"I swear, H," he whispered into the darkness, wand clutched in his hand as he raised it with purpose, "_I swear on my life_, I will _never _be the reason my friends die."

A flash of magic sealed his oath and a few seconds later a small brownish-blonde rat was scuttling out of the hospital wing, leaving Hermione wide eyed and wide awake, staring after him.

* * *

**Sunday, 2nd October 1977**

The next morning dawned early for Hermione, who hadn't slept well after Peter had left. She had tossed and turned, thinking about how the future had already changed so much. She couldn't imagine James and Lily using any of their friends as their Secret Keeper now - if it even came to that - and she definitely couldn't imagine Peter betraying them. In the short time she had known him, she'd seen a totally different man than the one she had first met in the Shrieking Shack in third year. It was strange to her, how the Peter from her past and the Peter she knew now were so vastly different. It didn't hurt that she thought he was insanely attractive.

She slipped out of the bed and crouched down, tugging the nearest box out from under the bed and searching through it for something decent to wear. She'd been able to convince the Mediwitch days ago that she needn't remain in a hospital gown any longer, but the clothing she had provided from the lost-and-found had been horrendous. Hermione _hated_ 70's fashion. Well, she hated _all_ fashion, to be honest, but the 70's really were terrible for clothing. Pulling out Harry's old quidditch shirt, she held it tightly to her face, breathing in his fading scent. She missed him.

To anyone else, it might've seemed like she fancied Harry. She didn't - not anymore. That had come and gone before she turned 13, regardless of anything else that had happened. Harry was simply her soulmate. She believed in soulmates, but not in the traditional sense, in that your soulmate was your _one true love. _She believed that in life, each person had _their person_. The one who just _got _you. The one you'd do anything for, go anywhere with, die for, _kill for_. Someone you didn't need words to communicate with, because you knew each other so well that you may as well have been one person. Harry was _her person_. You didn't go through what they did, and not change.

When Ron had left, Hermione had been heartbroken. She had thought she'd fancied him - that he'd fancied her - but then he'd up and left and she was stunned and hurt and completely mind-boggled that he would do that to them. That he'd just _leave_ them in the middle of a war, when their lives were on the line, all because he felt left out. In reality, Hermione knew that it had been the Horcrux at work, that he'd never have said what he'd said if he hadn't been exposed to it for so long. But there had been a voice in the back of her mind, a swotty know-it-all voice that reminded her, '_You've _all _been wearing it, and nobody else has thrown such a temper tantrum_', and her rose coloured glasses had lifted, to be replaced with bitter resentment.

It was during those cold months when Harry and Hermione had been travelling alone, that their friendship had changed. Gone was any teenage awkwardness - Ginny wasn't there, Ron wasn't there - it was just the two of them, cold and alone in a world that wanted them dead. They learned to lean on each other, often waking from nightmares to find the other curled up next to them. They spent lazy days researching in the tent, lounging in their pyjamas, legs tangled together with a need to not feel alone. Hermione would cut Harry's hair, and he learned to braid hers when she was too tired to bother. Harry would give Hermione the extra food, despite being starving himself, because he wanted to be able to give her _something_ in return for all she had sacrificed for him. And they'd lean on each other, emotionally and physically, wanting to forget the war even for a little while.

The first time they had slept together, they'd both been virgins. It had been a few days after Ron left, and Hermione had blown up, shouting and crying at how _stupid_ and _unfair_ it all was. Harry, feeling guilty - as always - had tried to apologise to her, had tried to let her off the hook, only to end up on the receiving end of her wrath. She had scolded him royally for ever insulting her intelligence like that ('_If I want to help you Harry Potter, I will bloody well help you! How dare you try to tell me n-_') and he'd interrupted her with a quick hard kiss. They'd stared at each other for a split second, both panting heavily with adrenaline, before they had crashed together again, letting their anger and hurt and fear pour out of them in a tangle of hands and hair and clothes. It had been passionate and awkward, and everything Hermione had imagined her first time to be. They had cuddled afterwards, waking up in the night to explore each other again.

They had stayed in bed for three days straight, reading and planning, and when the need arose they'd fall back together in a tangle of limbs, desperate to forget that they were in the middle of a war. They both understood that while they loved each other dearly, they weren't _in love_, and _that was okay_. During those days, Harry and Hermione shared their lives with one another. They told stories from their childhood - before Hogwarts - and confided their deepest secrets and fears. They'd truly become closer with each other than any other person - dead or alive. And then the plan to head to Godric's Hollow had broken the bubble, and they had shared a tender kiss before Harry took her hand and disapparated, not knowing then that they were walking straight into a trap.

Hermione sighed, bringing herself back to the present as she sadly tucked the jersey back in the box. It wouldn't be smart to be seen wearing a Gryffindor quidditch shirt in a design that hadn't been, well, _designed_ yet.

Instead, she pulled out a worn pair of jeans and a faded grey sweatshirt, tying her hair up in a messy bun as she turned toward the mirror she had transfigured from the dead flowers on the nightstand. Turning left to right, she looked sadly at herself. Her once lean and strong body looked frail, as though she'd blow over in a mild wind. Her cheekbones stuck out in a way that made her eyes look even more sunken in than they were, and her limbs looked gangly and awkward in their skeletal condition. Even her hair was limp and lifeless. Madam Pomfrey had been feeding her vitamin potions since she had arrived, but unfortunately even magic couldn't immediately fix months of starvation and hours of torture. Her body and her magic had been fighting so hard to keep her alive and sane throughout her recent torture and the events that followed, that her general health had declined dramatically. It would take weeks to return to a healthy weight.

Sighing heavily - she really was doing a lot of that lately - she pulled on the clothes and then yanked one of Ron's old belts from another box, punching an extra hole in it to make it fit her tiny waist. Once she was finished dressing, Hermione got started packing her belongings back into her trusty beaded bag. She'd been embarrassingly relieved when the new extension charm had stuck firmly to the bag - she was very attached to it, and couldn't bear to throw it away. Even when she stopped using it one day, she imagined she'd keep it forever.

She sorted methodically through the items that had been stored inside for the last 9 months or so, stopping every now and then to reminisce. In the end, she decided to keep it all. Despite not being on the run anymore, she couldn't bring herself to leave anything behind, _just in case_. So she packed it all back up, making sure nothing had been forgotten, and set off slowly towards Madam Pomfrey's office where she would floo to the Headmaster's office.

They were finally going to discuss _The Plan_.


	8. 8

**Sunday, 2nd October 1977**

It didn't take long for Hermione and Professor Dumbledore to come up with a halfway decent plan. The problem was that while Hermione had information on what had happened in _her_ past, she had no idea what would happen in the future. She'd already changed things.

The only course of action that made any sense was to find the Horcruxes quickly and quietly, and destroy them - preferably all at once. Hopefully they could end things once and for all, before the death toll rose any higher. Hermione explained her theory on Harry himself being a Horcrux - something she had suspected since long before she knew the word for it. She was actually surprised that Harry himself hadn't connected the dots. The pain in his scar, the visions... How he could feel Voldemort's particularly emotional outbursts... In any case, it was quickly agreed that the Horcruxes needed to be found and destroyed as soon as possible - hopefully this would all be over long before James, Lily and Harry became targets.

The only thing Hermione wasn't happy about, was Dumbledore wanting to leave her out of it _all_.

"You've done so much already Miss Granger, I can't in good conscience ask you to do any more. You deserve at least _some _kind of normalcy in this time," said Dumbledore kindly, twinkling over his glasses at her.

"Sir, with all due respect, I can't leave this war yet. I won't. I need to see it through," Hermione replied firmly, not pausing as he made to interrupt her. "I wont palm it off onto someone else because its hard, Professor. There will be things that I _can't_ do, but anything that I can do to help, I will."

The Headmaster examined her determined face, torn between feeling proud of the young witch, and annoyed that she was fighting his decision. Finally he nodded, begrudgingly agreeing to the compromise. He knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to take all the credit for Voldemort's defeat anyway, but the young egotistical side of him still wanted to be the one to beat him. He had also paid close attention to Hermione when she had explained about the Deathly Hallows, shocked that his future self would have disclosed his most secret desire to a mere schoolgirl, no matter how disguised it had been.

"Alright then, if you insist."

"I do, sir."

"In that case, I think it's important to talk about the Hallows briefly," he paused, avoiding her eyes as he shuffled his notes on the desk. "Do you think whoever defeats Voldemort will need them?"

Hermione hesitated before answering, feeling suddenly uneasy with the topic. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, sir. I would have thought that if they were that instrumental in Voldemort's defeat, then your future self would have been more forthcoming with the information instead of hiding it within the runes of a children's book. If I had died before figuring it out, then the information would have been lost, and I can't imagine you would have damned us like that," she said, noting the way he stiffened at the implication she had made.

Either they weren't that important, or he'd placed a hell of a lot of pressure on a teenage girl to solve a problem she hadn't known existed.

"Of course, I did figure out what it all meant, but I still don't know where the Resurrection Stone is," she continued offhandedly. "I know James Potter has the true Invisibility Cloak, and that you hold the Elder Wand, sir," his head snapped up to look at her as one hand reached for the opposite wrist where his wand was tucked into his sleeve. "But I don't think it really matters all that much - Voldemort doesn't bother with the Hallows for another twenty years or so. Hopefully we can get rid of him before it becomes an issue."

She knew it was coming, but Hermione still felt disappointed when she felt Dumbledore's presence in her mind. She let him search her thoughts and said nothing when he retreated, knowing by how he relaxed that he was satisfied she wouldn't try to steal the wand for herself.

This is what Hermione had been worried about. Ever since she had flicked through that damned book written by Rita Skeeter, small niggles of doubt had wormed their way into her mind. It didn't help that they'd been in the middle of a snow covered forest with Harry injured and down a wand - and that bloody Horcrux around her neck - but even now that she was safe and warm she still couldn't help but think that something wasn't quite right with the Headmaster.

She shook the thoughts from her mind and pressed on. There would be plenty of time to think about it later, when she wasn't within Legilimency range of Professor Dumbledore.

"Anyway," she sighed, changing the subject. "With the notes we have so far you should be able to find all of the Horcruxes, except for the diary. That one is probably in Malfoy Manor, and my recommendation would be to speak to Arthur Weasley first. I know they're not in the Order yet, but they were in my time and all of the Weasley's can be trusted. You should speak to Arthur and have him issue a raid warrant on Malfoy Manor for the misuse of Muggle artefacts. I can provide a memory of what the diary looks like, and so long as you have an insider on the raid team who can take the _real_ diary and leave a convincing duplicate in its place, that should work."

"You've thought a lot about this, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore, not agreeing or disagreeing with her proposed plan.

"I've had a lot of time to think lately, sir."

There was silence as Hermione sipped her now-cold tea, grimacing at the temperature.

"I also think I should be the one to retrieve the diadem, Professor."

"Yes, I agree."

"Really?" asked Hermione, in shock.

"Well of course, my dear," he said. "You saw it in the Room of Hidden Things yourself. It would surely take you a fraction of the time to find it again than if I insisted upon searching for it myself."

"Yes, that's what I was going to say."

"Well, that's settled then. I will take care of the ring, locket, cup and diary, and you will retrieve the diadem. I do not think it would be wise to store the items together, as I do not know how the items will react in close contact with each other," said Dumbledore, as Hermione nodded in agreement, pleased that things would be much more straightforward this time. "I will ward a multi-storage trunk which should keep the items isolated from each other, and it will be stored inside my personal chambers to ensure their protection."

"And how will we destroy them once we have them, sir?"

"After hearing about your most recent ordeal, Miss Granger, I think fiendfyre will be the quickest method. I will be able to destroy them all at once, and in the event that Tom feels their destruction, we will be able to plan an attack on our own terms and use the element of surprise in our favour." Hermione nodded in agreement - she had been thinking the same thing. "The basilisk will need to be dealt with sooner rather than later, however the safest time for that won't be until next summer and it is my hope that we will be able to defeat Tom before then."

"Okay, sir, that sounds like a plan."

* * *

After another hour or so of fine tuning their Horcrux plan, the topic turned to Hermione's cover story and living arrangements.

"I've taken the liberty of organising a private dormitory for you nearby the Heads chambers."

"Sir, I appreciate it, but I don't need any special treatment."

"I understand your concerns Miss Granger, however this is for a few reasons - one being your night terrors," he looked at her apologetically as she winced. "It wouldn't do to have your housemates asking awkward questions. Also, if I need to consult with you on short notice I need to be able to do so without attracting unwanted attention. It will also allow you the privacy you need to truly be yourself." Hermione blinked back sudden tears. "I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling right now."

"I- It's been okay Professor. I have more of an understanding of time travel than others, sir. I knew from the moment I saw James and Sirius in the hall that I'd travelled. The jump didn't feel the same as what I'd expect from time travel, but what I came from was so vastly different that even if I hadn't seen them right away I imagine I would have figured it out pretty quickly. I think if I hadn't already researched time studies then it would be much harder to cope with, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for her to elaborate.

"As soon as I realised what had happened, I knew I'd never go back to my time, because my time doesn't exist anymore. I can't go forward in time because the decisions made by every single human being on earth at every second of every day changes the outcome of the future. The fact that James and Lily missed their first date last weekend has already changed the future, even if it has only potentially delayed it by a week - I don't know what the consequence of _that_ will be. Even Sirius seeing me on the ma-" she stopped herself, blushing as she tried to cover her slip up. "I mean, even Sirius _and James_ seeing me in the hallway when I arrived has changed things." She cursed herself for basically giving away the secret of the Marauder's Map, although Dumbledore didn't call her on the blunder.

"I could possibly have hidden away for the next twenty years to preserve the timeline as I knew it, but the choice was taken out of my hands, and personally sir, I don't think I'd have been able to _not_ change things anyway," she swallowed thickly. "Too many people have died too early and too unnecessarily."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. _Of course _you're right. However I still stand by giving you a private room Miss Granger. You may be coping well in a logical sense, but I would encourage you to mourn your losses, my dear. Nothing good will come from buried grief," said Dumbledore, a knowing look in his own glassy eyes.

Hermione nodded, swallowing back her tears as the room fell silent.

After a minute the Headmaster continued, "I think it best for you to be sorted again, Miss Granger, and for you to remain at Hogwarts as a transfer student."

Hermione just nodded again, not opposed to staying in the castle and knowing she'd never pass as anything other than a student. Dumbledore summoned the Sorting Hat and passed it to her so she could place it on her own head. She tuned out the Hat's croaky voice in her mind, simply thinking her request - _Gryffindor, please_ \- which was granted a moment later to her great relief.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together happily and continued their conversation, eager to get everything sorted before lunch. There was roast pork today.

"Right then, Gryffindor, splendid. Now, I think it would have be safer for you appear as a half-blood, but unfortunately whatever curse Bellatrix Lestrange used on that blade has made it impossible to heal, or even hide with magic," he said, ignoring how Hermione tensed at the mention of her torturer, "so we'll keep your name and blood-status as it is. I will bring Professor McGonagall up to speed and we will be able to fabricate some O.W.L results that would be believable for a student who has been home-schooled with a private tutor. Aside from those in the know, the rest of the faculty and students will be of the impression that your parents declined the invitation for you to attend Hogwarts in favour of a private tutor that would allow you to remain closer to home during the school year. I have someone who can sign off on the transfer papers and will happily corroborate the story."

"That's fine, sir."

"Now for the reason for attending Hogwarts only now - please, excuse my insensitivity Miss Granger - I believe it best that we let others believe that your parents were killed recently in a Death Eater attack." Hermione sucked in a sharp breath at this. "It will explain your late start to the year and will deter people from asking too many questions. It will also explain your, erm," he cleared his throat awkwardly - something she'd never heard the wizard do before - as he gestured to her thin frame and the Mudblood scar that stood out like a neon light. "I apologise my dear. What I mean to say is that your physical appearance can be explained away as a result of the attack and subsequent mourning. That, and it won't arouse suspicion among the Death Eaters and sympathisers."

Hermione hid a smirk as she nodded, strangely amused at the sight of a flustered Albus Dumbledore.

"And finally, I have also spoken with Mr Potter who has offered to open his home to you for the periods that the school is closed - with the permission of Fleamont and Euphemia of course," he continued, smiling kindly at her gasp of shock. "They are more than happy to have another guest, although they will certainly treat you more like family. They can, of course, be trusted with the same information as young James, although I would still recommend keeping it to a need-to-know basis. The less people who know, the better."

He checked the time and smiled at her as he rose from his seat.

"Perfect, just in time for roast," he said merrily, gesturing for Hermione to follow him from the office. She stood up quickly and thanked the Professor for his time, eager to get to her new rooms and unpack her things. She had a lot to reflect on.

* * *

The trip to her new dormitory was quick, as most of the students were already in the hall for lunch or out on the grounds enjoying the last of the warmer weather for the year. They stopped at a small portrait of flowers - Hermione thought they looked like marigolds - where the Headmaster tapped his wand in a strange rhythm on the frame, before he turned on his heel with a smile and wave, leaving Hermione in the hallway alone.

She looked back at the portrait - slightly shimmering as it waited for the new password - and sighed heavily.

"_Charmant_."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Charmant _= French for 'Lovely'

**Also** **-** the main foundation of the story has been laid. Hermione has her alibi and somewhere to live while Dumbledore starts the Horcrux hunt. She can relax and be a normal teenager for a while.

**I should add** **\- **Hermione is annoyed that Dumbledore is now trying to keep her out of the war, when in _her _time he basically palmed it off to a trio of kids to handle. She doesn't know everything that she _would_ have known if she'd stayed in her time, but she knows enough and is smart enough to see some holes in Dumbledore's thinking, and is a little more cautious of his manipulation. In saying that, she's not opposed to him taking the reigns either. She's tired. She's mourning her life that she'll never get back. She's dealing with PTSD from her time at Malfoy Manor. Hermione has so much shit going on that she'll gladly hand over some responsibility to the Headmaster. BUT, she does want to be involved - to have the closure she needs - to know that she's doing the right thing by changing time so drastically.

If it doesn't make a heap of sense now, please just stick with me!

If it goes the way I want it to (Lord, hear our prayer), it'll be awesome. Promise.

**Ps: **Let me know your thoughts!

Love, A  
x


	9. 9

**Monday, 3rd October 1977**

Hermione had spent most of the night before unpacking and crying, torn between being relieved that she wasn't dead (yet) and heartbroken over the loss of the life she had known. She had finally fallen into bed during the early hours of the morning, only to be woken a short time later by the sound of movement in the room. Without stopping to think, Hermione had drawn her wand and had a hex half-formed before she heard the unmistakable squeak of a house elf.

"I's is sorry Missy Grangey, Lipsy is not meaning to scares yous!" the small elf cried, covering her face with her long-fingered hands.

"Oh! I - I'm so sorry Lipsy. I was startled and I -" Hermione scrambled off the bed and knelt down next to the small cowering elf. "I am terribly sorry for drawing my wand on you Lipsy. I promise it won't happen again."

"Lipsy thanks Missy Grangey," squeaked the still cowering elf, although she had lowered her hands and was looking at Hermione warily, not sure on whether she could be trusted to keep her word. "I's is simply bringing yous some uniforms Miss," she jerked her head towards the closet. "Breakfasts be starting soon."

"Thank you Lip-" the elf snapped her fingers, disappearing before Hermione could finish, "-sy."

She sighed heavily, getting to her feet slowly. Clearly her luck with the elves wasn't likely to change in this time either. Her heart twinged at the thought of Dobby who had died for them, before she brightened again. Hopefully she could save him too.

Determined to make the best of her situation, she decided that she would try not to think too much about the past (or was that, the future?) and focus on the _now._ At least for a little while. If anyone deserved a break, it was her.

Pulling the wardrobe door open, Hermione was pleased to see that the uniforms weren't so different from the ones she was used to. The tie was more of a neck scarf for the girls it seemed, and the skirts were surprisingly shorter than she remembered - but it was the 70's after all. She pulled on the secondhand uniform quickly, not wanting to look at her emaciated body, and disappeared into the bathroom to brush her teeth and braid her hair.

It wasn't until she was ready to go that she realised her problem - she couldn't leave without her bag.

Not having any of the correct textbooks, Hermione had planned to only take her stolen wand to classes with her and hope that the teachers had spare supplies for her to use - at least until she could get to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. But as she made to leave the room, she found that she simply couldn't bring herself to step out of the doorway.

Her breath quickened, her hands began to shake, and a strong feeling of nausea overtook her so quickly that she braced herself on the wall beside the portrait. When the feeling only intensified, she took a few hurried steps backwards, dropping to the ground to put her head between her knees as she panicked.

Hermione had no idea how much time had passed before she heard a knock outside. Still in the midst of a panic attack, she crawled out of sight of the entry and flicked her wand at the portrait, letting her visitor in. She knew it could only be someone she trusted. Nobody else knew she was here yet.

"Hermione?" Remus called quietly, glancing towards the open bedroom door.

Hermione gasped and stuttered, giving away her location, but she didn't flinch as Remus rushed towards her, drawing his wand and casting a cooling charm at her as he came closer.

The cool air on the exposed skin of her neck and face worked wonders, and she finally drew a deep breath, leaning into Remus as he wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders.

"H? What's wrong? You're safe here Hermione, I promise you," he tried to comfort her.

It took a few minutes for Hermione to calm herself enough to explain to Remus what the issue was.

"I can't, I mean, I - I -"

"Shh, H, it's okay just take a deep breath," he breathed in deeply, catching her eyes and nodding as she copied him.

"I just panicked Remus. I don't think I can do this."

"What do you mean?" He prompted gently.

"I just," Hermione started, and the flood gates opened. "I can't shake the feeling that everything's going to go to shit and I won't be prepared and then people will die or maybe I will die or maybe Voldemort will find out who I am and where I'm from, or, I guess I should say _when _but either way is just as bad as the other, and I've carried my life around with me for almost a year and this stuff is all I have left and I can't leave everything _here_ while I'm out _there_ and -"

"Hermione, stop. You need to take a breath, you're going to hyperventilate!"

"But Remus -"

"No, H, wait," Remus insisted. "Let me catch up will you?"

Hermione nodded sheepishly, breathing heavily as Remus tried to make sense of her word vomit. "So you're worried that something's going to happen outside of the timeline that you're aware of, and when it does all your stuff will be in your dormitory and not with you like you're used to?"

"In essence, yes. There was death and Voldemort in my version though."

"Yeah well I try not to dwell on Voldemort too much these days," he muttered, shaking his head as he helped Hermione to her feet. "But anyway, the solution is simple really."

"_Simple_? Remus I don't know if you were listening but -"

"I know, H, but really there's no reason you can't bring everything with you right?"

"- if things go badly there are items I'm going to need and - wait, what?"

Remus was already moving around the room, spelling her belongings into neat piles on the coffee table. "Just re-pack it Hermione. Just the essentials anyway, at least then you'll feel more comfortable. You can disillusion it and wear it under your robes. Nobody will even notice."

Hermione was _mortified_.

"Why didn't I think of that?" she whispered, burying her embarrassed face in her hands again.

Remus stopped and moved to stand in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Hermione, it's fine. Things are overwhelming right now. It's okay, we all understand," said Remus kindly, ducking his head so he could catch her eyes. "But there is something you've forgotten in your panic."

"What?"

"You have us."

* * *

After Hermione had re-packed the _must have_ items, she took off her outer robes and put on her newly disillusioned bag - checking it's contents again before she was somewhat satisfied - and replaced her robes over the top. Remus was right, nobody would notice.

Finally ready to start the day, Hermione followed a flushed Remus out of the portrait hole. He was still blushing from the unexpected (but not unwelcome) hug that she'd given him in gratitude of his kindness. She had apologised immediately of course - she kept forgetting that while she knew him, he didn't know her the same way. If there was one thing Hermione was looking forward to, it was getting to know the young Marauders and Lily.

Hermione stuck close to Remus' side, despite knowing the castle like the back of her hand. If the walk down to the Great Hall for breakfast was any indication, she knew she'd be on the receiving end of lots of questions and stares - at least until everyone got used to her - and while she had no idea how much he would say, she had to assume that Professor Dumbledore would address the students and staff, especially since she would be joining classes today. Hermione was actually relieved to be able to fall back into the comfort zone that school provided - if there was anything she excelled at, it was learning.

They reached the hall in no time and made their way quickly towards the Gryffindor table where Sirius, James and Peter were already sitting. Lily was a little ways up the table with some other girls, and she waved at Hermione as she came closer. Hermione didn't especially feel like being social right away, so chose to sit between Sirius and Remus, and across from James and Peter - a decision she would surely come to regret, if the grin on Sirius' face was anything to go by.

"Morning, Kitten."

"Call me 'Kitten' one more time, Sirius, and I swear to Merlin -"

"Hey now Kitten, don't get upset, I only say it with love," Sirius interrupted, placing a hand over his heart dramatically, and blatantly ignoring her half-made threat.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and started loading her plate, making sure to pick foods that would be gentle on her still-healing body - it would do no good to over eat and bring it all back up.

"Aren't you going to do whatever-it-was to him Hermione?" asked Peter curiously. "He called you Kit-" he stopped at her glare, "the, er, K-word," he finished lamely, ignoring the other boys' snorts of laughter.

Hermione met Peter's eyes, smiling warmly at him as she answered, which made her response all the more worrying. "Of course, Peter. But now he doesn't know what it is, because he so _rudely_ interrupted, and he doesn't know _when_ I'll do it either. I have to keep him on his toes after all," she said smugly, enjoying the way the boys looked at each other in wide-eyed awe (and fear, in Sirius' case) of the small witch.

Breakfast continued on without a hitch after that, with Sirius definitely _not_ calling her Kitten again as he kept one eye on her at all times, until the Headmaster stood from his seat. The hall quieted down quickly - it was unusual for any announcements to be made at breakfast time.

"Good morning students. Happy Monday!" he said happily, unaware or perhaps just ignoring the eye-rolls from most of the staff. It was way too early for such enthusiasm, _especially _on a Monday. "We have a new student starting with us today, Miss Granger if you could please stand?"

Hermione swallowed hard as she stood, her hand clenched around her wand in her pocket. Having so many eyes on her made her unbelievably anxious - _that _was something she would have to adjust to - another side effect from the war.

"Thank you," he continued, and Hermione sat back down quickly, slouching slightly between Sirius and Remus as though they could shield her from the rest of the hall.

"Miss Granger is joining us to complete her magical education this year. She had previously been tutored at home, however due to unfortunate circumstances that is no longer an option, so she will be joining the seventh year classes. I expect you all to make her feel welcome. That's all, off you go!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together and swept from the room.

The hall was suddenly as loud as it had been before Dumbledore's speech, although now there were many eyes on her as the students speculated about the "unfortunate circumstances" that Dumbledore had mentioned.

"The Gryff's had a meeting last night with Minnie," Sirius said quietly, as they began to rise from their seats with the rest of the table. "They know you're in our house and that you've got separate rooms. She gave them the cover story and Prongs and Lily warned them not to bother you, so you should be safe from the Lions at least."

Hermione was touched, and mouthed _thank you_ at James when she caught his eye.

"Thanks, Sirius. Don't think I'm going to forget you using that ridiculous nickname though."

"Wouldn't dream of it, love," he laughed, dancing out of her reach as she tried to smack his shoulder.

"Hey Hermione," called Lily, joining the small group before they could exit the hall.

"Hey Lily, thanks for last night. Sirius told me you and James talked to the other Gryffindors."

"Don't mention it. We take care of our own, you should know that by now!" The two girls laughed as Lily linked her arm with Hermione's, leading her to where Professor McGonagall was standing in the Entrance Hall.

"Good morning, Miss Granger."

"Morning, Professor."

"We need to sort out a timetable for you, dear. Which classes were you wanting to take?"

"I'd definitely like to do Transfiguration please, Professor. And I think also Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Potions, Herbology and Charms, please."

"Is that all?" the Professor asked, and Hermione knew she was gently asking about Defence Against the Dark Arts without actually saying anything.

"Yes, thank you, Professor," Hermione met her eye and nodded emphatically.

"Certainly, Miss Granger. I look forward to teaching you," McGonagall gave her a slip of parchment with her timetable and a rare, small smile. "Off you go ladies, you wouldn't want to be late to Potions."

Hermione looked down at the timetable as she and Lily turned towards the dungeons.

"Ugh, double Potions first thing on a Monday morning? That's brutal."

"What do you mean? Professor Slughorn is great, even if he's a bit of a lush," Lily asked, confused.

"Oh, that's right. I guess I forgot that I wouldn't have the same teacher as - I mean, that I used to have," Hermione answered, mentally slapping herself. '_I _really _need to stop making reference to time, no matter how accidentally._'

"Was Slughorn not your teacher then?" Lily whispered quietly into her ear.

As the two girls whispered back and forth, it occurred to Hermione what they must look like to an outsider. Two teenagers, arms linked, walking to class and whispering with their heads together.

Like _friends_.

* * *

The day passed relatively smoothly, as far as first days go. Hermione had someone to sit with in every class, thank goodness. She wasn't sure if she could handle making other friends right now. Remus sat by her in Ancient Runes, and Peter joined them at a table for three in Arithmancy (and _yes_, Hermione was _very_ surprised that Peter took Arithmancy. Somehow she hadn't imagined him to be that intelligent, no matter how good looking he was).

Hermione sat with all four Marauders in Transfiguration and Charms - the only class they were all in together - and she paired with Lily for both Potions and Herbology.

It wasn't until the end of the day that Hermione was forced to answer the first tough question from another student.

"So, Granger, right? I'm Mary McDonald." The other girl reached her hand over the Gryffindor table to shake Hermione's as she nodded in confirmation.

"Hi Mary, nice to meet you."

"Yeah you too. Hey, I was wondering, why weren't you in DADA today? You know there's a war going on right? Wouldn't you want to learn to, well, _defend yourself_?"

It only took a second for Hermione to paraphrase: _'If your family was really killed by Death Eaters, wouldn't _you _of all people want to learn whatever you could to defend yourself?'_

The Marauders went still, looking between Mary and Hermione as if unsure of whether to interrupt or not. Just as Lily leaned over from her seat beside James, ready to change the conversation (subtlety be damned), Hermione spoke quietly. "There's nothing I could learn in that classroom that I haven't already learned either in theory or in practise. I can wield a wand well enough to keep myself alive, even though I mightn't look like it right now. Taking DADA would be a waste of time, and to be honest, my flashbacks are pretty severe right now and I wouldn't want to endanger the other students."

The group was silent, shocked by Hermione's honest answer - none of them had expected that. Mary looked at her with a strange mix of sympathy, apology and approval, almost like she was sorry to have asked, but could understand her reasoning and thought her to be pretty bad-ass to have escaped a Death Eater attack alive.

"Fair enough," she said, nodding and glancing at the others before she lifted a platter and held it out towards Hermione. "Bread?"

"Thanks."

Hermione smiled as she took a slice, and the tension broke.


	10. 10

**Friday, 21st October 1977**

It hadn't even taken two days for her 'past' to become common knowledge amongst the students, and for the most part everyone was very welcoming. The only ones who didn't seem to care were the Slytherins. Most of them ignored her, some of them sneered at her (and her choice of friends), and there were a select few - the ones she knew for certain were Death Eaters - who outright laughed at her whenever they were in the same vicinity. Other than those few, she was mostly ignored by the house of snakes, which suited her just fine. The Gryffindors had taken her in straight away and she'd spent a few nights tucked up in the Gryffindor Tower with her housemates, although the library was still her favourite place to be.

Surprisingly, it was Peter who joined her more often than not. She had expected Remus to be the most studious of the group - based on what she knew of him in the future - but Peter had just laughed when she brought it up one evening during her first week of classes.

"It comes naturally to Moony. He can read a book once and retain the knowledge for years. James and Sirius are both quite intelligent too, even if their scheming ways detract from it a bit. The difference with them is that they can just crash-study right before exams and fluke the rest. Don't get me wrong, they know a lot of stuff - perks of growing up in a magical home I guess - but they don't spend as much time studying as they probably should. They still pass their classes, but they'd probably both be closer to top of the class if they studied a bit more."

"And what about you? Where do you fall in that?" she had asked in return, curious about his answer.

Peter shrugged, blushing a little as he ducked his head. "I study because I need to. I wouldn't call myself an idiot by any means, but I don't have the luxury of relaxing in my studies like Padfoot and Prongs do. They could probably miss a whole week or two of classes and not be any worse off, where I know I'd need some serious studying to catch up. And with Remus, well, none of us can compare to him," he laughed, his face clearing of any embarrassment. "Bloke's a bloody genius!"

Hermione laughed with him, pressing a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles when the librarian glared their way.

"And you, Hermione? You seem pretty bright too. Why do you study so much?" he asked, once they'd been silent for a little while.

Hermione put her quill down, shaking her hand out as she answered. "Well, I _used_ to be called the 'brightest witch of her age', but it's really not a natural intelligence like everyone assumed. I mean, I _am _highly logical - I always have been - and that can imitate intelligence in some scenarios, but mostly it's book smarts. I'm terrible with lots of other things, like relationships and reading people. And sometimes I push people too far because I think I know best - usually because of something I've read somewhere. It was a bit of a burden to be referred to as so intelligent, because it meant I couldn't ever mess up." She sighed heavily, picking her quill back up and pulling out a new piece of parchment. "But I guess I'm like you in a way... I don't just pick things up super easily. It takes study and practise for me. I always used to study ahead - almost a month ahead usually - so I guess when I answered questions in class that nobody else knew, well, they all thought I was a genius. In reality I was always just trying to prove that I was just as good as my peers, despite the 'disadvantage' of my blood status."

Hermione finally looked up at Peter once she'd finished talking, embarrassed to have been blabbering on about herself, but he was just nodding in understanding whilst practising his wand movements.

"Yeah I get that. Remus and I are half-bloods, so it's not as tough for us, but I can understand the pressure you'd feel coming into a world you had no idea about, knowing nobody, and being expected to just act like it was all totally normal."

"_Exactly_," she responded, a little too loudly, glancing around to make sure she hadn't disrupted anyone else as Peter snickered. "Like everyone just expected me to take it in stride that people could travel by _fire _and _broomsticks_, and not blink in the face of house elves or _dragons_. Stuff that had only ever existed in fairy tales for me."

"Yeah, I don't envy you in that respect. I'd probably have thought I was mad!"

The two continued to meet in the library after that and Hermione quickly grew to like Peter on his own, not just as a Marauder, and before Hermione knew it she was finishing her third week of classes. It was the Friday before the next Hogsmeade visit that things changed a little.

Hermione had been in the library for a little more than an hour before Peter arrived. She barely glanced up when he put his bag down, but she frowned at him when she noticed that he was a little pale and seemed nervous.

"Peter, are you alright?" she asked quietly, glancing around to make sure they were alone in the study nook they had claimed as _theirs_.

He cleared his throat and sat down heavily, glancing over his shoulder towards the aisle he'd come from. "Ye- Yeah I'm fine. Just Avery and Mulciber being annoying," he muttered, starting to pull his books out.

"What did they want?" she asked quietly, staring at Peter intently. She didn't think he'd still become a Death Eater, especially after the magical oath he'd taken in the Infirmary when he'd thought she was sleeping, but she had to ask.

"Nothing. They just made some rude comments about us studying together," he looked up at her disbelieving face and sighed. "Honestly, H, don't worry about it. I'll tell the guys when I get back to the dorms and we'll deal with it."

"Peter, a prank is probably not the best idea right now," she warned.

"I don't think a prank is what the others will have in mind, Hermione," he replied casually, finally relaxing into his chair. "But don't worry about it. They're just trying to find a weak link, but they won't. _Not this_ _time_," he insisted, looking at her pointedly.

Sighing heavily, Hermione let it go. She knew his vow would stop him from purposely or even inadvertently killing his friends. Which, now that she had been reminded of it, she actually had to talk to him about that. Clearing her throat gently, she got Peter's attention and cast a non-verbal Muffilato around them.

"I wanted to speak with you about that actually. You see, that night, in the hospital - well, I was awake, you see. And I heard your oath. I'm sorry," she hurriedly continued, seeing him about to interrupt, "I was really groggy, and by the time I realised it was you and I was going to move or cough or let you know I was awake somehow, you'd already moved to leave and I didn't want to embarrass you and-"

"Hermione, it's fine," Peter insisted, finally interrupting her word vomit. "It wasn't a secret. I _won't _be the reason they die this time. It's a promise, that's why I made the oath."

"And I appreciate that more than you know, Peter, really. But... well, there's a small problem..."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Well, I think it might have been a bit vague, that's all. You said '_I swear on my life_, _I will never be the reason my friends die_' and it has me worried. What if the 'reason' is something totally out of your control? Like, you slip in a duel and a spell hits one of them instead, and BAM, dead?" she worried out loud.

Peter just stared at her, not having thought about it like that before. "Shit."

"I know, I just... Is there any way you can revoke the oath? Or amend it so that it's a little more specific?"

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit! Fuck!" he cursed, pulling at his hair as he stood and started to pace in front of the small table. "I didn't think of that Hermione! What have I done!? I don't want to die!"

"It's okay though right? You can just amend the oath right? I mean, you made it voluntarily, without anyone asking you to do it... surely that gives you a little more freedom with it?"

"No, Hermione, you don't understand," he said, his voice rising with panic. "We need to find the others. Sirius and James will know more about this kind of thing, but as far as I know, once it's done - it's done."

He started shoving his belongings back into his half-unpacked bag, grabbing some of Hermione's things when she took too long to pack up herself. By the time the desk was clear a few moments later, they were already walking towards the door, picking up speed as they went. As soon as they cleared the entryway, Peter grabbed Hermione's hand and ran.

Luckily for them, Friday was 'game night' in the Head's dorms, and the rest of the group was already there waiting for them as Peter barged in, practically dragging Hermione behind him.

The reaction of their friends would have been comical if it were any other situation. Remus stood and drew his wand, James spilt his drink down his front, and Sirius leapt backwards over his chair, tumbling to the floor with a thud.

"Guys," Peter panted, trying to catch his breath. "I fucked up, big time. I made a magical oath that was too vague and I could potentially die at any minute."

Hermione snorted, ignoring Peter's responding glare as she tugged her hand free and sat down in Sirius' vacated chair. "That's probably a little extreme Peter, but we really do need a solution. Sit down guys - James you're a wizard aren't you?" She cast a drying charm on the dark-haired boy as he attempted to wring out his wet robes and continued, "Anyway, Peter's right, this is ser-"

"Sirius?"

They all groaned - Hermione louder than the others - and then laughed, the tension broken for now.

* * *

It didn't take long for the others to realise the gravity of the situation.

"Damn it, Pete! What the hell were you thinking?"

"Prongs, I just - I just wanted to prove that I wouldn't betray you guys and -"

"But you didn't have to make a fucking _magical oath_ you twat!"

"But he did, mate. Cursing him out now isn't going to change that," said Remus, always the voice of reason. "We need to figure out what we can do about it."

"We _can't _do anything about it, Moony." All heads turned to Sirius who was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, hunched over with his elbows on his knees.

"Wha-" Hermione choked out, having to clear her throat twice before she could properly speak. "What do you mean Sirius? Surely there's _something_ that can be done?"

He just shook his head sadly, raising his eyes to meet Peter's. "A magical oath is just that - an oath. It can't be changed or revoked, only fulfilled. At least that's what I was taught." He glanced at James, who nodded in agreement. He'd been taught the same.

"Yes, but has it been studied?" asked Hermione desperately. "Maybe we could figure it out? We could ask the Headmaster, or Professor Flitwick or someone? Surely there's got to be some way to alter a willing vow? It wasn't even an _Unbreakable _vow for Merlin's sake!"

Both Sirius and James were shaking their heads before she'd finished talking, and Remus had steered a sick-looking Peter into a seat.

"I'm sorry, H. There's nothing that can be done," said James gently, still looking quite upset himself. "We just have to be careful. _We _as his friends might be able to absolve him from guilt if we get killed, but there are too many variables like instant death or the fact that he didn't specify _which_ friends. It could refer to just us - because that was the intention - or it could include anyone Pete's ever considered a friend. We can't know for sure."

The room was silent for a long time after that, before Peter tried to lighten the mood.

"Well, since I'll probably be dead before the end of this war -" there was an instant uproar from his friends, so Peter raised his voice to be heard over the noise, "Hermione? Wanna go to the Halloween Ball with me next weekend?"

The noise stopped just as suddenly as it had begun, and the rest of their friends looked between Hermione and Peter - as though they were watching a Quidditch match - as she blushed all the way from her chest up to the roots of her hair.

"Um, sure, Peter," she replied quietly, "I'd love to."

"Great!" he said happily, "I'll pick you up from your rooms then?"

"Um, yeah - yes of course. That- that sounds good," she stood up and walked quickly to the door, avoiding the other Marauders eyes as she went. "Um, okay, well, I guess I'm off to bed then. Hogsmeade tomorrow, you know... Okay, um, bye!" She ducked out quickly and leaned against the wall beside the portrait hole as it shut behind her.

As soon as the door clicked shut, a roar of noise could be heard from inside the Head's dorms as the boys cheered for their mate, the stress of the night forgotten for now.

Hermione giggled as she made her way back to her own dormitory, a wide grin stretching across her face. _She had a date!_

* * *

**Author's note: **

What do you think? Are you liking it so far?

Let me know!

Love, A  
x


	11. 11

**Saturday, 22nd October 1977**

Hermione rose earlier than usual that Saturday, hoping to catch Lily before she left for Hogsmeade. The redhead was going on her first date with James Potter - the date that Hermione's arrival had delayed - and Hermione wanted to wish her luck and tell her about _her_ upcoming date before she left. And she desperately needed some fashion advice from the Head Girl.

She took a little extra time getting ready, knowing she'd see Peter and the rest of the boys at some point. She wanted to look... nice. Pretty, even. It was still mind-boggling to her that she was even _thinking_ of Peter, let alone actually going out with the bloke! She had been so sure when she had arrived that Peter had already been a Death Eater, and to know now that she could keep him off that path was such a relief! The fact that he was actually kind and smart and _gorgeous_ was just a bonus, albeit an unexpected one.

"And it's not like he's actually going to _do _any of those horrible things in this time anyway," she muttered to herself as she spelled her hair into loose waves and pinned the sides back. "It wouldn't be fair to judge him for things he did in a future that doesn't even exist anymore."

So she let herself be excited for her date next weekend. And that meant dress shopping.

* * *

Hermione found Lily as she was waiting for one of the staircases to change.

"Lily, hey," she said, both surprised and relieved that she was alone. "I thought you'd be with James already?"

"Morning, H!" Lily had picked up the nickname too, much to Hermione's chagrin. "We'll be heading to Hogsmeade after breakfast, but James isn't even awake yet so I thought I'd get a head start. And I know some of the younger students will be up already too. It can't hurt to keep an eye on them until the Prefects arrive." Hermione nodded in understanding and linked her arm with Lily's as they walked.

If Lily was surprised at the gesture she didn't show it, but she did give Hermione's arm a slight squeeze of affection. It wasn't as though the girls weren't friends - of course they were - but Hermione suffered pretty bad PTSD from the war in her time, and sometimes physical touch triggered flashbacks or panic attacks for her. About a week into classes, Sirius had snuck up behind her in the Transfiguration hallway and covered her eyes playfully with his hands. In three seconds flat, he was on the ground holding his groin while his foot throbbed and boils began to pop up on his exposed skin. As soon as Hermione had realised it was him, she'd begun to apologise, only to turn from upset to angry in the blink of an eye, not bothering to help him up or reverse the hex as she lectured him on his stupidity ('_Honestly Sirius Black, sneaking up on _me_ of all people? How thick can you get!?_'). He'd not played any tricks on her since, though she was sure he'd try again at some point.

Lily was excited as Hermione told her about her date with Peter to the Halloween Ball the next weekend, and almost promised to go dress shopping with her until Hermione reminded her of her own date with James.

"Well, that's okay, I'll just have to help you now!"

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Hmmm," she started looking up and down the hallway before dragging Hermione into an unused classroom, close to the Entrance Hall. "This will do perfectly. Okay, do a little spin for me?"

Hermione spun, self-consciously.

"H," Lily snorted, "_slowly_ please."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly as she turned slowly on the spot.

"Okay - go for a dark colour, it will complement your hair and skin the best - _not _red or green though. I'm thinking maybe a dark navy or midnight blue? Or a dark purple might work too," Lily said, using the tips of her fingers to turn Hermione's shoulders from side to side.

"And the cut?"

"Definitely go for a high neck. Not that you haven't got any, but you should show off clavicle, not cleavage, and opt for something tight. You've put some weight back on," she met Hermione's eyes warmly, "so you might as well show off your figure too."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, tugging the hem of her tartan mini skirt. "Okay, got it. Dark colour, high neck, tight. Anything else?"

Lily, who had noticed Hermione's movement, grinned mischievously as she edged towards the door. "Yeah, get the highest thigh-split you can find. Trust me."

And with that, she ducked out with a laugh, leaving Hermione red-faced and groaning in embarrassment.

* * *

By the time Hermione had reigned in her blush, breakfast was well underway. She managed to enter the hall without attracting much attention, but as she approached the Gryffindor table she saw Sirius elbow Peter in the ribs, nodding in her direction. _'And there goes that damn blush again'_, thought Hermione, as Peter looked up at her, eyes widening.

She stopped opposite him, and Sirius cleared his throat at Remus - who had his back to her and still hadn't noticed her arrival - gesturing for him to make room for Hermione to sit down. Quickly realising he was being unintentionally rude, Remus turned slightly, mouth still full of bacon, to greet her with a smile - only to choke at the sight of her. Frowning, Hermione pulled her wand out from her sleeve and magicked his airways clear.

"Do I look _that _bad?" she asked quietly, looking down at herself. "I mean, I know I haven't mastered 70's fashion yet but I thought this was pretty good?" She waved her free hand around, gesturing to the long-sleeved black top that was tucked into the waist of her short tartan skirt, complete with high black socks and Mary Jane's.

Still coughing slightly, Remus answered for the other boys, who still looked too shocked to speak, although Sirius was smirking now, and Peter had a slight flush to his cheeks. "N-not at all Hermione, you look - well, I mean, you look -"

"Smoking hot!"

"Sirius!"

"_Sirius!_"

"Padfoot!"

"What? It's true, H. Nice legs," he winked, barking out a laugh as she hurried to sit down and hide said legs under the table.

"Oh Merlin, I knew I shouldn't have worn this," she muttered under her breath, wandlessly summoning the coffee pot into one hand as she grabbed some toast with the other.

"Just ignore him, H," said Peter quietly. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, Peter," she said back, smiling prettily as her face flushed, _again_.

"Yeah, yeah, okay you two, break it up," laughed Sirius. "Prongs and Lily are bad enough," he jerked his head down the table, and the other three turned to look, all pulling some kind of face at the way the two were looking at each other.

"I think it's sweet," said Hermione, ignoring the snorts of laughter from her comrades.

"Yeah," said Sirius sarcastically, dodging a flying piece of toast from Hermione as he finished, "_so sweet._"

Amidst their laughter, Hermione shared her plans to go clothes shopping in the village, and the boys offered to escort her there - they were heading to Scrivenshaft's (Remus) and Zonko's (Sirius) - with the group agreeing to meet up for lunch in the Hog's Head before heading back to the school.

Once they were finished with their breakfast, the four friends bid James and Lily a good date ('_Have a _lovely _time, dear Prongsie_.' - '_Shut up, Sirius!' - 'Have fun guys!_' - '_Come on you lot, let's just go_') and started the trek towards the small wizarding village, thankful that it wasn't that cold yet, although Hermione _did _pull out a jacket from her beaded bag when they arrived.

"Okay, so I'll meet you guys at the Hog's Head at about half eleven then, yeah?" she asked, pulling on a leather jacket that she had transfigured that morning, oblivious to the boys reactions to _that_.

"Ye-ah, that sounds good," said Sirius, almost speechless.

"Alright, have fun then, see you later!"

"Bye!"

"See ya!"

And then there were three.

Sirius turned to look at his mates, both still staring after their newest friend, wide eyed and almost drooling.

"I didn't realise she was so hot, Pete," he said, looking back to Hermione and the way that damn leather jacket paired with those socks and heels made her look like some kind of tiny, sexy, bad-ass warrior. "Nice one!"

Peter shook himself back to reality, smacking Remus on the back of his head to get his attention. "Well I did," he said smugly, grinning at his mates. "You snooze, you lose, Padfoot. And you too, Moony."

"Hmm, I dunno Wormtail," laughed Remus, glancing back in the direction of the dressmaker as he joked, "I reckon I've still got a shot!"

Sirius barked a laugh as Remus dodged another backhand from his friend, "And me too! She's not yours _yet, _mate!"

"Oi!" laughed Peter, knowing his mates were just teasing, trying to rile him up. "I asked her first boys - _paws off_!"

The boys continued to play fight over Hermione as they made their way to the joke shop, but neither Sirius or Peter noticed the disappointed gleam in Remus' eye. He felt guilty for even thinking it, but if he'd known Peter was interested in her too, he might've plucked up the courage to ask Hermione out first.

But now he'd missed his chance.

* * *

By the time Hermione sat down at one of the round tables in the back of the Hog's Head Inn, she was _exhausted_. She must have tried on a hundred dresses! Well, not really - she didn't think the store had even _had_ a hundred dresses - but she sure felt like it.

Ordering a butterbeer with an extra dash of ginger, she waited for the boys to arrive (even though she was already a few minutes late herself), checking her bags to make sure she had everything she needed for the next weekend.

She'd managed to find the perfect dress - and she was sure Lily would agree - along with shoes and a small purse. She hadn't bothered with any kind of shawl or throw over, not wanting to hide her beautiful dress, but she _had_ picked up some beauty products to help with the overall look, as well as some small faux diamond earrings. Satisfied that she hadn't forgotten anything, Hermione shrunk the bags down and stowed them safely inside of her magically extended handbag, relaxing as she sipped at her butterbeer.

After the boys had finally arrived (almost a half hour late, to Hermione's annoyance) and Sirius had insisted on buying her another drink (to apologise), the four friends ordered some lunch, chatting and having a generally good time together. A few hours and too many drinks later, they began their trip back to the school, each making guesses as to how James and Lily's first date had gone, each guess more outlandish than the last.

By the time they made it back to the castle they were all a little tipsy from the beer, Hermione's cheeks were pink again - this time with laughter, and her smile was wider than it had been in many months. With Hermione's arm linked through Sirius', and Remus and Peter bringing up the rear - also _staring_ at her rear, if she could guess - the four teenagers made their way towards the Head's rooms, eager to hear about James and Lily's date (even if the boys insisted that they didn't want to know).

What none of them expected, was to open the portrait hole to the sight of James and Lily tangled together on the couch, snogging as though their lives depended on it. The pair immediately jumped apart, looking towards the doorway as the boys began to cheer on their mate, while Hermione desperately tried to pull all three of them back into the corridor and close the portrait simultaneously.

With nothing to do but laugh, Lily waved them in, grinning from ear to ear as the boys tackled James onto the lounge and Hermione rushed to give her a hug.

As night fell, the six students enjoyed each others company, sharing food and drinks smuggled from the kitchens as they told their tales from the day, finally falling asleep amongst the transfigured cushions and couches, too happy and content to move.

* * *

**Author's note:**

This chapter is a little shorter than I'd like - sorry about that.

It just seemed right to stop it here.

I hope you liked it!

Love, A  
x


	12. 12

**Author's note:**

This one's a whopper! My husband just got home from working away for the past three weeks - hooray! This _does_ mean that there'll be a bit of a gap between this chapter and the next one. This fic is pre-planned but not pre-written, so between work, Hubs, our toddler _and _all the fun things that come with being an adult, I'll have to find a good balance that includes writing.

Don't worry! I'm not going to leave you hanging - but please be patient as I try to be a responsible working wife/mother/adult.

Let me know what you think of this chapter. It's the longest one yet!

Love,  
A x

* * *

**Sunday, 23rd October 1977**

It was the sound of manic laughter that woke Hermione in the early hours of the morning. Bolting upright, she drew her stolen wand quickly, pointing it towards the portrait hole as the figure of Bellatrix Lestrange seemed to materialise in the darkness.

Before Hermione could cast anything, a jet of light shot towards her and smashed into her chest, sending her sprawling onto the floor with an agonising scream as the Cruciatus Curse tore her apart from the inside out. She couldn't hear her own screams, or the sounds of her friends waking frantically around her... only the sounds of pure insanity, pouring from the mouth of the witch torturing her.

It seemed to last forever - though it was probably less than 30 seconds - before Bellatrix lifted the curse, allowing Hermione to roll behind the lounge as she caught her breath.

"Awwww, ickle baby Mudblood doesn't wanna pway, hmmm?" she taunted, casting stinging and cutting hexes at the lounge like a predator playing with it's food. "I wonder if your _friends_ want to play instead?"

Hermione choked down the beginnings of a panic attack and launched her shaking body around the side of the lounge, casting hexes and curses so quickly her wand was a blur, not allowing the Death Eater the chance to attack her friends. She'd lost so much, she'd be damned if she would lose _them_ too.

Shocked by the ferocity of Hermione's defence, Bella had little time to do anything more than shield and dodge, but she never lost her wicked smile or the crazy cackles that echoed around the room. Hermione wasn't aware of anything around her, other than the witch in front of her. She knew that if her concentration wavered for even a moment, she'd be dead. She didn't notice the ripped couch or curtains, the small cushion smoking on the couch, or the pile of books that had been knocked off the coffee table that were now nothing but ash. She didn't see or hear her friends around and she hoped they were okay - that someone had gone to get help.

It wasn't until one of her spells finally hit Bellatrix - finally made contact with the exposed skin of her forearm - that she realised this wasn't quite right. The _Petrificus Totalus_ made a smacking sound as it hit Bella's arm, but she _exploded_. Literally, in a burst of what looked like ash or dirt, she simply disappeared, leaving Hermione crouched between the lounge and the fireplace sucking in air as though she'd been underwater for days.

Finally she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she snapped back to attention, swinging her wand arm around to point at her next adversary - she'd deal with the Bellatrix conundrum later. Just as another curse was about to leave her wand, Hermione realised with a jolt that her opponent was James Potter. Not just James, but all of the Marauders and Lily were huddled together near the bathroom door.

"Hermione?" asked James cautiously, his wand clenched in one hand as both were raised beside his head in surrender. "H? What's going on?"

"Wha-" she was still gasping for air, shaking like a leaf. "What do you mean? Didn't you see what happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?"

"I... It was Bellatrix Lestrange, James." Now she was confused... Hadn't they just witnessed the duel? Why were they all looking afraid of her?

"H... there's nobody here but us..." said James gently, edging closer to her as the others looked on. Sirius was standing between James and the others, shielding Remus, Peter and Lily with his body. Lily was tucked into Remus' side as she cried silently, and Remus and Peter were watching with concerned faces.

"Well of course there's not _now_!" cried Hermione, gesturing to the ruined common room. "I need to find out why my spell did that though... A _Petrificus Totalus _isn't supposed to make the enemy _explode_ like that..."

"Ex-explode?" James was within touching distance now, and as Hermione muttered to herself about needing to research different immobilising charms, he was able to grab her wand, yanking it out of her hand and throwing it to Sirius.

"Wha-?"

"Hermione, there's nobody here," said James firmly, putting his hands on Hermione's shoulders and looking her directly in the eyes. "There was never anybody here."

"What are you talking about? You can see the damage, right?"

"Yes, but -"

"And what about the Cruciatus? Didn't you see that?"

"_Cruciatus_!?" James was getting frustrated now. "H, all we saw was you writhing on the ground screaming, and then running around throwing curses at _nothing_!"

"Nothing?" she asked, starting to panic as she pulled at her hair. "But she was right there! She was laughing at me, and she cursed me just like - like last time. And she threatened to kill you all - well, she didn't _say_ kill, but it was implied - and so I had to fight back and we duelled, obviously, and then I hit her with a Petrificus but she _exploded _and then I saw you and now we're here arguing!"

James waited for her to finish her rant before he spoke seriously. "Hermione, none of that happened. Not the curse, not the duel. None of it."

"Wh-what? None of it? I... How- I mean, how is that possible?" she started to cry as James wrapped her in a hug. "It was so real... I woke up, I know I did... or, I _think_ I did, and- OH MY GOD!" she shrieked, making them all jump. "Are _you _okay? I didn't hurt any of you did I? Oh God, oh _God_, I'm so-"

"H, it's fine, none of us were hurt," said Remus as the others joined James and Hermione in the middle of the room. "We were a bit shocked, still are I think, but we're all okay. No harm done."

"Except to the furniture," quipped Sirius, making Hermione cringe as she surveyed the room.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quietly. "I should have gone back to my room instead of sleeping here. I should have known better."

Lily pulled Hermione from James' arms and wrapped her in a hug of her own. "Do you have nightmares like that all the time?" she asked, sniffling softly.

"Most nights, yeah. They were getting better though, so I'm not sure what triggered this one. It seemed so real," she yawned, suddenly exhausted from the one-sided duel.

"We should go back to sleep," said Lily, checking the time. "It's still a few hours until sunrise."

"I'll head back to my own room."

"What, no H, it's fine -"

"James, it's okay. Thanks though. I'd feel better in my own room," said Hermione awkwardly. "Besides, it's just around the corner, and I probably won't be able to fall back to sleep anyway. There's no point in staying here and keeping you guys up."

James started to protest again when Peter spoke up. "I'll make sure she gets back okay, Prongs," he said, clapping James on the shoulder as he manoeuvred himself to stand next to Hermione.

"Thanks Peter, but it's really -"

"No arguments, H," he insisted, smiling as he flashed her a corner of the Marauder's Map that was in his pocket. "We're not about to let you go wandering about the castle on your own at this time of night. Especially with the current, erm, _climate_."

Knowing he was referring to the Death Eaters and not in the mood to argue, she agreed. "Okay then, if you're sure?"

The others who had been watching the exchange smirked at each other as Peter nodded and helped Hermione back into her cloak before they headed towards the portrait hole.

"See you later guys. Sorry... Again," she said sheepishly, as Sirius gave her wand back, flicking it around the room to return everything to it's original state before she ducked out the door.

Lily, Remus and James offered up their own goodbyes as Sirius called after them, "Have fun!"

The sound of multiple slaps and Sirius' bark of laughter echoed after Peter and Hermione as they walked towards Hermione's room, checking the map as they went.

* * *

The duo made it back to Hermione's quarters with no issue. At least, until it was time to part ways.

"Umm, do you -?" Hermione started to ask, gesturing awkwardly towards her sitting room.

"Huh?"

"Do you want a drink or something?" she asked, thinking _'God this is awkward'._

"Oh! Sure," replied Peter. "Yeah a cuppa would actually be really nice. Thanks."

The pair made their way inside and Peter sat on the small lounge as Hermione puttered around in the kitchenette.

"Cream and sugar?"

"Just cream, thanks."

After a few moments of Peter slyly checking out her rooms ('_She gets a private bathroom, common room _and_ kitchen? This is almost better than the Heads dorms!_'), Hermione sat down beside him, flicking her wand towards the hearth as their mugs floated over to hover in front of them. They sat quietly as they sipped their drinks, the awkwardness slowly giving way to a comfortable silence as the tea and fire warmed them.

"Do you think you'll go back to sleep then?"

"Hmm? Oh, probably not, no."

"But aren't you tired?"

She snorted. "Exhausted. I have been for months" she explained, shifting slightly so she could get more comfortable, tucking her feet up under her. "It's getting better, but even without the nightmares I'm too paranoid to sleep through the night anyway. I guess I'm still used to taking shifts."

"Shifts?"

"Yeah," she nodded, leaning her shoulder against the back of the couch, and her back against the arm, so she could face Peter as she spoke. "When we were on the run... Things were too scary. I mean, we had _some _idea who our enemies were, but we still weren't sure who we could trust. If someone had stumbled upon our camp - wards or no - we didn't want to be taken by surprise..." she shook herself out of the memories. "Anyway, we took shifts in keeping watch. We'd usually do 4 to 6 hours at a time and then trade off, although most of the time I'd take longer shifts by accident because I'd get lost in my research or something. Or if I was trading off with Ron I'd let him sleep longer because he always complained the worst."

"That must have sucked."

"It did. Not the lack of sleep, mind. It was the _not knowing_. Not knowing if someone would find us... If they'd be a friend or foe. Not knowing if our side was winning or losing. Not knowing if the people we loved were dead or alive. Not knowing if _we_ would be dead or alive at the end of it all. Most of the time I couldn't sleep anyway, because of adrenaline. But after a while - when we hadn't been found yet - we got more comfortable, and, well... Then Harry accidentally broke the taboo..."

"Aren't you mad at him for that?" asked Peter, genuinely curious.

"I was initially. I was furious that he could have been so careless," she admitted, realising that this was the first time she'd ever spoken about her experience from an emotional standpoint. She'd always stuck to the facts before, never personalising the events. "But I couldn't stay angry of course. When we were running away from the Snatchers there was no time to be angry. All I could think about was that we were going to die. That the boys - _men _\- I loved were going to die in front of me and there was nothing I could do about it. All I had was my beaded bag... thankfully I'd had time to summon the entire contents of the tent into it, although we lost that tent..."

"Tent? But you had one - we found it!"

She shook her head, smiling slightly, "That was a spare."

Peter just looked gobsmacked. "A spare?"

"What can I say?" Hermione shrugged. "I like to be prepared."

"I'll say," he laughed, relaxing into the lounge as he toed off his shoes and slung an arm around her, although it was actually laying along the backrest.

Hermione swatted at him playfully, leaning into him as she grabbed his empty cup and banished it - along with hers - back to the kitchen.

"You said," Peter started quietly, clearing his throat as he looked at her seriously, "the men you _loved_... before... What kind of love?"

He knew it was a personal question, but as he gently played with the ends of Hermione's hair, he couldn't help but hope that she hadn't been _in love_ with either of them.

Hermione, knowing where the question was coming from, met his eyes and gave a serious answer in return. "I did say that. I _do_ love them. Harry and Ron. But probably not in the way you're thinking."

"Did you date them?" he blurted out, looking horrified at himself as he did.

"No!" Hermione laughed, resting her hand on his to quell his embarrassment. "No, we didn't date. None of us. I think Ron and I _might_ have explored a romantic relationship if he hadn't left us during the hunt. I was so mad at him for so long... But," she sighed, turning serious again, "it's like I said before... When you're a moment from death, you don't have time to be angry. We did kiss, right before I came here actually, but there was no spark there - for me at least. Any romantic feelings I'd had for him disappeared when he abandoned us, but I did - _do _\- still love him as one of my best friends, despite everything that happened."

"And Harry?"

"Harry is different. He's my person," she said, smiling warmly even as her eyes welled up with tears. She missed him so much.

"Your person?" Peter asked, moving his arm from the back of the couch to rest over her shoulders, rubbing her back gently.

She nodded firmly. "My person. My soulmate. He was my first, well, _everything._ It's difficult to explain..."

Peter tried to move away, feeling uncomfortable at the way the conversation had turned, but Hermione wouldn't let him. She pushed aside her usual self-consciousness and wriggled closer into Peter's side as she continued.

"He was just everything to me. The one person that understood me, that really _got_ me. He was - _is _\- my very best friend. He knew everything there was to know about me. He was just my _person_. That's the only way to explain it," she said quietly, letting a few tears leak from her eyes. "For a while there, we were all each other had in the world. I'll never regret what we shared, and I'll always love him - he'll always be a part of me - but I wasn't ever _in love _with him."

They were silent for a moment as Peter processed what she'd told him. He understood exactly what she meant and he relaxed again, pulling Hermione close as she cried for the friends she missed so dearly. Exhausted and emotional, it wasn't long before Hermione fell asleep in Peter's embrace. Now knowing that she was barely sleeping anyway, Peter didn't dare to move her, and let himself fall asleep too.

* * *

When the pair woke again, it was with sore necks and backs, but surprisingly no awkwardness.

"Ugh," Hermione groaned, cracking her back as she stretched. "Remind me to never sleep on this lounge again."

"Never sleep on the lounge again," joked Peter in a gravelly voice, cringing as he shook out his dead arm.

Hermione giggled, feeling happy and relieved to have been able to _finally_ vent her emotions to someone else, without ruining the budding friendship.

"What time is it?" asked Peter, not noticing how Hermione eyed his exposed abdomen as he stretched.

She checked the time, shocked that they'd slept so late. "It's almost 12 o'clock!"

"I love a good sleep in," grinned Peter. "But I really need a shower and some food."

"I can't remember the last time I slept that long, or slept _at all_ after a nightmare! That's almost 9 hours!"

"That's good though right? I mean, you needed a decent sleep. It's a shame it was on the couch though..."

"Yeah," agreed Hermione, secretly thinking that maybe she'd slept so well because she wasn't alone? But that couldn't be right - she'd been with the others in the Head rooms when she'd had that horrible nightmare. Oh well, she'd think about it later. "If only we'd been in the Room of Requirement."

"The what?"

Hermione stopped on her way to the bathroom and gaped at Peter in shock. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

She started to laugh loudly, gripping the doorway for support. "Oh, oh! This is going to be pure _gold!_"

"What the he-" he started, shaking his head in amused confusion as Hermione shut herself in the bathroom, still laughing.

A few minutes later, Hermione was still chuckling to herself as the pair made their way down to the Great Hall for some lunch. They'd each used the bathroom and Hermione had changed her clothes while Peter was stuck using cleaning charms on his, but she wouldn't let him go back to the tower to get changed yet.

"We need to find the boys - Merlin I can't wait to see their faces. _All _of your faces! Ha!"

She couldn't stop giggling to herself, positively giddy that _she _knew something they didn't. The room hadn't been on the Map of course, but Hermione had thought that was just part of the magic of the castle - that it _couldn't _be mapped. They made it down to the Great Hall in record time, where Hermione bounced in her seat throughout the entire meal, barely paying attention to the conversation around her. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer.

"Okay, up!" she ordered the Marauders, ignoring their questions as they warily stood from their seats. "Come on you lot, I have something to show you."

The group left the hall, nearly needed to jog in order to keep up with Hermione. She ducked behind tapestries and down secret shortcuts until she reached the place that James and Sirius had found her last month.

"Hermione, I don't know if you know this, but we've reached a dead-end," said Sirius cheekily.

"Oh hush, Sirius. Haven't you been wondering _where_ I came from?"

"Where you came from?" asked Remus. "We know where you came from, H."

"No, you know _when_ I came from," she replied, starting to slowly pace back and forth in the hallway.

"Oo-okay, and what's the difference?"

"Well, dear Remus, haven't you read _Hogwarts: A History_?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So you'd know that one can't apparate or portkey inside the wards, right?"

"Right."

"So that means I would have already been in the castle when I came here," she said, ignoring the boys confused faces as she told them what they already knew.

"Yes, H, you told us that," said Sirius, starting to become annoyed at not knowing what she knew.

"I know," she stopped, glaring at him for a second before she turned to make her last lap in front of where the hidden door would appear. "But what you _don't _know, and what I realised this morning that I left out of my initial explanation, is _this_," she said, as she stepped aside to reveal the handle of a doorway that was beginning to materialise in front of them.

"Sirius, why don't you go first?" offered Hermione sweetly. She was finally going to get her revenge for him calling her _Kitten_.

With a wary glance at his friends, Sirius drew his wand and stepped towards the new door, trying to ignore Hermione who was shaking with silent laughter as she watched. He gripped the handle firmly, looked down the empty corridor and back to his friends once more, then faced the doorway and gave a hard pull.

"A broom cupboard, H? Really?"

Hermione laughed a loud, delighted laugh, as she grabbed him by the elbow and yanked him back from the doorway, shutting the door as she did. "Not quite, Sirius. Here, let me show you."

"H, I think it's probably best to get whatever it is over and done with, before Sirius loses his mind," urged Peter, amused but just as confused as the others as Hermione began to pace again.

"Oh okay, spoil my fun then. Well, not all of it. Try again Sirius."

With less concern than before, Sirius stepped forward and pulled the door open one more time.

"Merlin's tits!" Hermione laughed loud and long, tears leaking from her eyes at the look of pure unadulterated shock on his face. As the other boys scrambled forwards to poke their heads inside, Hermione pushed from the back, sending the four boys tumbling into the room ahead of her. Once they were all safely over the threshold, she closed the door, mentally asking the room to keep them hidden while they were there.

Still laughing to herself, she faced the boys who were staring around the cavernous space in awe. "So, what do you think?"

"Wha- What do we think!?" blurted James, picking her up in a hug as he spun her around. "This is bloody brilliant, H! Now I can practice all the time! An indoor Quidditch pitch!? This is _brilliant_!"

She giggled happily as he put her back down. "Well, it can actually be anything you want it to be," she explained, watching the boys faces light up further as they roamed around the room, feeling the magical grass under their feet and wind in their hair. "It's the Room of Requirement. It can change into anything you require."

"Anything?" asked Peter.

"Anything."

"And it's a secret?"

"To most people, yes. But there are a few people who know about it. Myself, for one. I'm sure the elves and the Headmaster know about it too. But in my time it was spoken about by people who had stumbled upon it by accident, and hadn't been able to find it again. We used it for _Dumbledore's Army _in fifth year."

"_This_ is the training room you mentioned?" asked James, now laying flat on his back on the grass.

"Sure is. As I said, it can change into whatever you require," she shrugged, wishing she had a lounge chair to lay back on and smiling happily when a large sunbed appeared a few meters away, off to the side of the pitch. "Like right now, I require a comfortable place to relax and soak up the sun." She went ahead and sat down, grinning at the boys and their matching looks of excitement.

"This is brilliant Hermione!" exclaimed James, practically bouncing on the spot as a broom cupboard became visible in the corner. He raced over and picked up a broomstick, throwing one to Peter and Remus as well. "Padfoot, here," he called, tossing a broom to Sirius. "You and Wormtail versus me and Moony!"

The boys took off into the air, whooping with glee as they sped around, excited by the sheer magic of the room. Instead of joining the others right away, Sirius turned to a smug Hermione who was watching him from behind some obscenely large sunglasses she had summoned. He barked a laugh - a great, body-shaking belly laugh - and raced towards her, swooping her up into a bear hug. "You win, H. You totally got me!"

"And it was _so_ worth the wait," she laughed back, shoving him towards the pitch when he put her back down. "Just, for the love of Merlin, don't _ever_ call me that ridiculous nickname again!"

"Can't make any promises, love!" he called over his shoulder as he mounted his broomstick and joined his mates in the sky.

Shaking her head in mock annoyance, Hermione settled onto her lounger, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

* * *

**A/N: **

There you have it! I loved writing this chapter. It is a bit of an emotional roller coaster isn't it? Little bit of heavy, little bit of romance, little bit of funsies.

As I mentioned up top, there's likely going to be a bit of a wait between this chapter and the next, but I'll do my best for you. Next up - the Halloween Ball!


	13. 13

**29 October 1977**

Hermione's dress was perfect. It was a soft velvet material in a deep teal colour - so deep that it looked black under certain lights, until she moved and the colour shone through - with a high neck and long sleeves. It didn't have a thigh split, and it wasn't as tight as what Lily had probably imagined, but Hermione thought it was perfect.

"Absolutely not."

"What!? But -"

"Hermione, come on! The fabric is nice and the colour is gorgeous, but that dress is a _sack_ on you!"

"I couldn't find anything else within my budget that I was comfortable in, and this is fi-"

"_Don't_ say '_fine_' Hermione Granger!"

"But it _is_ fine!"

"Yes, but do you want to look _fine _on your date or do you want to look _stunning_?"

Hermione sighed, frustrated as she turned in front of the floor length mirror that Lily had enlarged from her muggle powder compact.

"Okay."

"Okay? Okay, what?"

"Have at it then!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pants at long-term transfiguration and I don't have the same taste as you, so..."

"So I can alter it? Really!?" Now Lily was excited. She _knew_ she could take this dress to the next level, and she really wanted to work her (literal) magic.

"Really," she agreed, continuing quickly when Lily began to squeal. "But! But I expect it to cover the important parts and I don't want to require a coat by the end of the night, okay? That means sleeves and -"

"Yes, yes and yes! You won't regret it, H! Now close your eyes and let me work," insisted Lily, plucking her wand off the bed and casting wordlessly.

The two girls got ready together, giggling and gossiping the entire time. It was a strange experience for Hermione, who'd never really had any girlfriends. She'd had Ginny of course, but that was... different. Lily and Hermione clicked on a different level. They were both Muggle-born, both intellectual and both very opinionated and passionate. Hermione had initially been concerned that they'd clash horribly - being two head-strong, competitive young women - but she needn't have worried. It seemed the stories _were_ true. Lily was just a wonderful person.

By the time the sun had set, the girls were putting the finishing touches on their outfits for the night. Hermione hadn't peeked at her dress since taking it off after the alterations, instead letting Lily play dress-ups with her hair and makeup. She ended up with her hair in a loose up-do, curls softly framing her face, and just a splash of makeup - a little kohl eyeliner and some red lipstick. Lily had left her hair down but had curled it for the occasion, and wore some neutral brown eyeshadow to make her eyes glow, as well as a light dusting of shimmer on her cheekbones.

As they slipped into their gowns, each young woman grinned a mile wide. Lily looked elegant in her backless satin gown - a beautiful olive green colour that offset her red hair spectacularly. She wore some plain beige heels on her feet (which were hidden by the dress) and some dangly earrings with a matching bracelet. She was stunning.

Hermione's dress, on the other hand, was _sinful_. Lily had really outdone herself. The previously shapeless dress now fit like a glove. She hadn't gained back all of the desired weight yet, but the shape of the gown was flattering and the textured material was forgiving on her still-too-thin frame. The sleeves had been completely transfigured into black mesh, so that her skin could still be seen, and when she turned in the mirror Hermione could see that the see-through material extended across her shoulder blades and all the way down to the small of her back. The velvet covered her breasts completely, but came up to a high halter-style neckline, leaving her collarbones exposed under the same mesh as the sleeves.

Thankfully, Lily had decided against a split in the leg and instead opted for a mermaid-esque flair at the bottom of the gown, allowing the dress to be form-fitting but still comfortable to move in. Hermione's small faux-diamond stud earrings shone brightly against the contrast of her dark hair and dress, and her simple black pumps completed the look.

As they opened Lily's bedroom door, James and Peter, who had been waiting in the common room for them, were struck speechless at the young women. Vaguely thinking that this was like a muggle romance film, Hermione stepped towards Peter, smiling shyly as he complemented her.

"H, wow," he stuttered, "you - you look beautiful!"

"Thanks Peter, you look very handsome yourself." And he did. Peter Pettigrew scrubbed up _nice_. Hermione still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that _this _was the same man from her time, so she had stopped trying to. Instead, she admired the young man that was her date for the evening. Peter wore plain black dress robes - they really didn't change much for men over the decades - with a vest and bow tie that could be charmed to match her gown. Performing the spell wandlessly, Hermione changed his bow tie as Peter presented her with a beautiful corsage of miniature begonias and snowdrops to wear on her wrist.

"Thank you," she breathed quietly, as he helped to adjust it properly. "It's lovely."

"You're welcome."

Smiling at each other, Peter offered his arm to Hermione as they turned toward James and Lily. James was sporting similar robes to Peter, although he wore the Potter House crest on his left collar and had provided Lily with a floral hair pin instead of a traditional corsage. With a quick charm on James' bow tie, the four were ready to leave and so James offered his arm to Lily, and the pair led Peter and Hermione from the dormitory towards the Great Hall.

* * *

As soon as they entered the hall, Hermione could feel hundreds of eyes on her. It immediately made her feel on edge, something that Peter noticed right away.

"You okay?"

She looked around and nodded towards the edge of the room, gesturing for Peter to lead the way. "I'm fine, thank you. It just makes my hair stand on end... y'know, with everyone watching me... it makes me uneasy."

"You know you're safe here though right? Nobody would try anything tonight, and I'll be with you the whole time - or one of us will be anyway," Peter blushed, embarrassed for presuming to spend the entire night with her.

Hermione squeezed his arm where her hand rested in the crook of his elbow. "Thanks, really."

"No problem. Want to find our seats?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

The pair walked leisurely around the perimeter of the Great Hall, admiring the decorations that Lily, James and the Prefects had put up earlier. It looked just like an American street, with the dance floor running down the centre of the room, and different 'lawns' on either side of the hall. Each 'lawn' had a house front with cobwebs, tombstones, carved pumpkins and other Halloween decorations. Hermione didn't want to know what was behind each door, but from the ominous sounds coming from them, she imagined that they were something of a 'haunted house' exhibit. It was really quite clever. If one stood at the entrance to the hall or at the Professor's table on the main dias, one would almost believe they were looking down a real street ready for trick-or-treating. The only thing that was out of place were the round tables with black tablecloths that were scattered around the room.

Peter lead her to a table that was already almost-full, and they joined their other friends for dinner. Remus had asked Mary McDonald to go with him ('_Just as friends guys, don't get too excited_'), and Sirius had decided to go stag ('_And deny all of the beautiful women a chance to dance with me? Never!'_). Lily and James also joined their table, as well as Alice Brown, a fellow Gryffindor who's long-term boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, had already graduated the year before. The eight friends chattered happily as they ate dinner, letting the butterbeer and elf-made wine relax them further.

After dinner came dancing, and the friends paired up with their dates and Sirius with Alice, to open the dancing. It looked to everyone like the typical Halloween Ball, complete with first dates and drama, spiked punch and chaperones. That was, until Hermione excused herself part-way through the night.

"Lily, can you tell Peter I'll be back in a minute?"

"Sure, where are you going?"

"I'm just ducking to the bathroom quickly. I just don't want him to think I've bailed on our date."

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Lily, looking distractedly through the crowd for James, who was with Peter getting the two girls a drink, after a particularly quick foxtrot.

Hermione snorted, shaking her head at the lovestruck redhead in front of her as she was already turning toward the exit. "I can manage on my own Lils, thanks."

"Okay well hurry back! The band will start back up soon!"

Hermione barely heard her friend as she made her way towards the ground floor bathrooms, eager to re-tame her hair and have a moment to herself. She was feeling a strange anxiety in the pit of her stomach - like this night was too good to be true. After all, her date with Peter was going _really_ well. He was intelligent and handsome and funny... And he could dance! She knew logically that he must have been at least _some _of those things at some point in time, to have been part of the Marauders, but it still seemed so _strange_ to her. Not only that, but she really felt like she was a part of things here. Like this was _her_ _time_ now. It was a good thing, she thought, that she was adjusting well and was accepting of her situation. She knew she'd never go back to her own time - it didn't exist anymore. It would be a waste of a second chance to get caught up in her own mind and wish away the time she had before getting back into the thick of things. Hermione made a mental note to set up a meeting with Professor Dumbledore over the weekend, as she exited the stall. She needed to find out where he was at with the Horcruxes...

So caught up with her thoughts, Hermione didn't realise she had company until it was too late.

"Well well well, look who we have here..."

Hermione's eyes snapped up, looking over her shoulder in the mirror, as she continued to wash her hands.

"Rookwood. Rosier. I didn't realise you were female. Although judging by the state of those _dress_ robes I should have guessed."

"The Mudblood thinks she's funny then, Gus."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Augustus Rookwood clicked his tongue, drawing his wand casually as he leaned against the wall of the girls' restroom, blocking the exit. "I though you were smarter than that Muddy. Making fun of your superiors..."

"I hope you don't mean yourself?" she asked casually, turning around as she subtly drew her wand, a vague memory of those same words being said in her past life.

Rosier snarled, losing the sliver of composure he'd managed to hold, throwing out a quick disarming charm while Rookwood sealed the door.

It all happened very quickly, but in Hermione's mind she saw every detail as though time was moving in slow-motion. The disarming charm struck true, her wand flying through the air, landing on the ground near the stall she had just vacated. She didn't allow herself to feel even an ounce of panic, quickly dropping into a battle stance and shielding her mind, as though she were back on the run with her two best friends, fighting for their lives. As the two junior Death Eaters moved towards her, feeling overly-confident at her lack of wand, Hermione flung her hands up and shot off two simultaneous non-verbal stunners, knocking them to the ground unconscious.

"Pieces of shit," she huffed, straightening her dress as she summoned her wand to her. Checking her surroundings quickly to make sure the boys hadn't brought backup, she debated on what to do. Did she leave them here to be found by someone else or call a teacher? But, she knew she'd just drawn a huge target on her back by displaying such advanced magic for a muggleborn who had supposedly been home-tutored. Chewing on her lip, she decided to modify their memories before she left to get a teacher. Shivering slightly as she remembered the last time she had needed to use such magic, Hermione twisted her wand and altered their memory of the last few minutes. In their minds, Rookwood and Rosier had followed her from the hall in the hopes to corner her alone, but hadn't been quick enough. When they got to the bathroom to find it empty, Rosier had pulled out a flask and the two boys drank themselves silly before passing out on the bathroom floor. It wasn't perfect, but Hermione hoped it would be enough to delay another confrontation, and vowed to visit Dumbledore first thing in the morning.

* * *

Tired from her spontaneous use of wandless and non-verbal magic, Hermione threw herself into the first vacant seat she could find, resting her head in her hands.

"Well well well, look who we have here..." came a smug sounding voice.

Hermione's head snapped up so fast she almost put her neck out, sighing inaudibly when she realised it was just Sirius, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Remus as they nursed goblets filled with what was surely spiked punch.

She snorted in response and reached out to snatch Sirius's cup, throwing back the rest of his drink as she looked around for Peter and the others.

"What's wrong, H?" asked Remus. He was definitely more observant than his dark haired friend who was already heading back toward the closest punch bowl.

"Nothing," she forced a smile. "Do you know where Peter went?"

He didn't look convinced, but stood and offered his arm. "No, but lets take a walk and find him yeah?"

Smiling genuinely now, Hermione slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they made their way slowly around the edges of the hall, carefully avoiding the swaying bodies of their classmates. She couldn't help but notice how Remus angled himself between her and the crowd, as though shielding her with his own body. Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she took note of the strong way Remus held himself. He was so similar yet so _not_, to the man she knew in her past. There was no defeated slump to his shoulders, no worry lines on his forehead. There were some fine pink scars scattered over his skin, but nothing as obvious as when she had first met the grown man in her third year. He was handsome. It shouldn't have been a surprise to her - she had always thought Remus to be a kind-hearted gentleman - but she was having the same problem with Remus (and Sirius for that matter), of letting go of the men she thought she knew from her past and their futures. A voice in her head - that sounded suspiciously like Ron - was shouting at her that this was bloody Remus Lupin! Professor Lupin! Warewolf and husband to Tonks, and the father of baby Teddy. But ex-professor or not, Remus was _fit_.

"Knut for your thoughts?"

"Hm? Oh," Hermione blushed, realizing she hadn't been as subtle in her observations as she'd thought. "I was just thinking about something."

"Oh? What about?" Remus pried, resting his other hand on top of hers, still tucked into his elbow.

She considered whether or not to tell him. "I'm just still trying to come to terms with the past and the future," she said. It was true, but Remus didn't have to know _exactly_ what she had been thinking. "It's strange to see people I used to know, and they're the same but so different at the same time."

"I can imagine. If you want to talk about it, I'd be happy to lend an ear," Remus offered as they came to a stop at the edge of the dancefloor, still not having found Peter. As Hermione smiled her thanks, he threw caution to the wind, hoping Peter wouldn't be mad if Remus danced with his date, and pulled Hermione towards him as he stepped onto the dancefloor.

"Wha-? Oh!" she squealed with delight as Remus spun her quickly into him, their chests crashing together as she hurried to gain her footing. Face to face, smiling wide and breathing heavily, their eyes locked, and something changed.

Sliding his hand snugly around Hermione's waist, Remus pulled her tight against him as they danced.

It wasn't until much later, long after the night was over, that Hermione realized she might just be in trouble.

Boy trouble.

* * *

**AN: **I'm SO sorry for the huge break between chapters. I know "busy" is a cop out, but seriously. Since the last chapter I've had major surgery, left a job, started a new job, completed a certification course, and have been caught up in general life. Hopefully I can pick things back up and upload more regularly. Leave me a review, and let me know if you're still interested in reading this?

Thanks, A

x


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